Sly Down
by dS-Tiff
Summary: It's almost a month after the events of 'A Lie in the Sand' and Sylvester is having a hard time coping with the implosion of Team Scorpion. Toby is on hand to help out his pal and he, at least, seems a little more optimistic about the future. If only Paige felt the same way...
1. Chapter 1 - Sly Down

**_I know we all have our own ideas on what happened and what might happen in the future, but this is my 'fix-it' fic. I hope you enjoy it, all comments welcome - thank you kindly!_**

 **CHAPTER 1.**

"Doc? Is that you? Thank goodness you're back, I'm way outta my depth here!"

"What's wrong, Lovebug?" asked Toby as he walked into the offices of Team Centipede and put the bags of groceries he was carrying down on the nearest desk. Then he suddenly realised what he'd walked into and his cheery manner faded. "Oh hell, not again…"

"Can't breathe!" Sylvester gasped. He was sitting on the couch clutching Happy's hand tightly as she sat next to him. "Can't… breathe!"

Toby ran over to them and dropped to one knee in front of his friend. "It's OK, pal," he said. "You're gonna be fine, just slow your breathing." He checked the pulse in Sylvester's wrist and calculated a hundred and forty two beats per minute.

"This one's worse than yesterday," Happy muttered in her husband's ear.

Toby nodded, but his concentration was on Sylvester. The younger genius had been having panic attacks almost every day since they'd walked out on Scorpion almost a month ago and they were getting worse. "Breathe in," Toby encouraged. "And hold it… and breathe out."

Sylvester did his best to comply as Toby rubbed his arm soothingly, but he was visibly shaking with the effort. "I… I…" he tried to talk, but it was no good.

Toby shook his head. "Don't do anything except breathe," he said. "It's gonna be OK," he paused and glanced at Happy. Neither of them were at all sure if his words of encouragement were for Sly or themselves. "Everything's gonna be OK."

Sylvester wanted to believe him, but every minute of every day his eidetic memory replayed the events that had unfolded back at the garage the day Team Scorpion had imploded. Over and over. And each time was just as painful as the first. And as if things weren't bad enough already his anxieties and OCD had come back with a vengeance. Maybe Walter had been right? He was just a stupid baby who couldn't even get through a day without a panic attack just because a door slammed, or he broke a pencil, or he accidentally brushed against something that someone else had touched.

"That's good, Sly," said Toby as Sylvester's breathing started to slow. "You're doing great. In… and hold… and out. We're right here with you, pal."

Happy let out the breath she'd been holding too. She hated seeing Sylvester in this state, not only because it was hard to see the anguish in her friend's eyes, but because it served as a vivid reminder of exactly how she was feeling herself. She and Toby hadn't done anything yet to make their dream of adopting a child a reality. She wanted a family. With Toby. Now. But she couldn't even think of bringing a child into their lives now that everything around them had fallen apart.

"If you're OK now, Sly, I might just… um… go for a ride," Happy muttered. She glanced apologetically at Toby as she got to her feet. She knew he'd understand why she needed to get some air.

"I… I don't mean to… to freak her out when this… happens," said Sylvester as the door closed behind Happy. His breathing had slowed, but it was still coming in gasps.

"Hey, you know Hap," replied Toby with a small smile. "She doesn't cope with emotional situations too well. She doesn't like seeing you suffer, pal."

Sylvester nodded. "Is… is this going to happen every… every day now?" he asked with fear in his eyes? "I can't go back to… to being this person, Toby. When I was… this bad as a kid I… I wouldn't go out for… for days." The words were coming out between uneven breaths.

"It's not going to be like that again, Sly," replied Toby. "I won't let that happen. I've got your back, OK?"

"Thanks," Sylvester answered. "I'm worried about Paige," he added. "I just wish Walter hadn't lied to her. I thought he knew her better than that? She reacted so… badly."

"I'd say 'badly' was the understatement of the decade," noted Toby, dryly. "Paige is doing… as well as can be expected," he added, unable to avoid the old doctor's cliché. "I'm doing a little work with her – of course she hasn't figured that out yet, she thinks all the silly games I'm playing are just for fun, but it's been very interesting. I'm seeing progress. Not much, but some. Enough to give me hope. She's aware of the part she played in what happened and she knows she needs to make changes."

"Does she want to get back together with Walter?" asked Sylvester.

Toby let out a long, slow breath before answering. "She's not ready to even contemplate that," he replied. "I know he didn't mean to hurt her, but he did. And she's carrying a lot of guilt for the way she lashed out. It's not gonna be easy for Paige to get past all of that, not any time soon anyway."

"I miss Cabe and despite everything I miss Walter," said Sylvester quietly. "I miss him. If Megan was still here…" he trailed off and looked sadly down at the wedding ring he wore every day.

"Megan would have given her brother a stern talking to," said Toby and Sylvester smiled at the image his words conjured up. "And he would probably have listened to her."

Sylvester's smile faded. "I've let her down," he said. "Things would never have gone this far if she was still alive. I should be… taking better care of Walter now that she's… not here to do it herself."

"You haven't let anyone down," insisted Toby.

"But I… I attacked him, Toby," said Sylvester, his voice barely more than a whisper.

His breathing was almost back to normal now and the tightness in his chest had eased, but his heart still ached. He stared straight ahead as the memories of that terrible day came crashing back into his mind again. "I've never attacked anyone before in my life… well, apart from that big, hairy inmate I punched in prison, but that was different."

Toby couldn't help but smile at Sylvester's choice of words. He certainly wouldn't have described the shove Sly had given Walter that day as an attack, but it had definitely been shocking, out-of-character behaviour for the normally gentle genius. Toby wondered how far things might have gone if Cabe hadn't intervened. He couldn't really imagine Sly slugging Walter in the jaw, but who knows? Tempers had been raging out of control all round that day and people had said and done things they would never normally have said or done. Things that they now all regretted. If only Paige hadn't tried to push Walter to places he wasn't ready for… if only Walter hadn't deceived Paige about that lecture… if only…

"Walter was being a jerk," Toby said. "He shouldn't have lashed out at you. I know how humiliating the whole Flo thing was for you."

"If by 'the Flo thing' you mean me standing there holding a stupid bunch of flowers and declaring my love for her in front of everyone, only to have her announce her feelings for Walter, then I guess it doesn't take a genius behaviourist to figure out how I felt." Sylvester had tears in his eyes as he spoke. "That was by far the most humiliated I've felt since Perry Drago pulled down my pants in front of the whole school."

"We need to talk about Perry Drago one day," said Toby, raising his eyebrows.

"How could he do that to me?"

"Perry?"

Walter!"

"Oh, OK, but think about it, Sly," continued Toby. "I know Walter needs to shoulder his portion of the blame, but it's not really his fault that Flo wants to lick his brain, is it?"

"That's a disgusting thought!" exclaimed Sylvester, turning up his noise.

"Figuratively speaking," Toby clarified.

Sylvester sighed deeply. "OK, maybe not… but he could have made his position clearer when he took her to that lecture."

"Hey, Flo, wanna come to a lecture as my platonic companion because I have no romantic feelings of any kind towards you and that dream I told you about meant nothing so don't get any ideas, but don't tell Paige because she'll wrongly assume I'm taking you because she doesn't stimulate me intellectually like you do and then she'll get mad and break up with me," Toby rattled off without taking a breath. "Yeah, he should totally have said that."

Sylvester frowned at him. "You know what I mean." He pressed two fingers to his neck to check his pulse. "One ten," he announced. "It's coming down."

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Toby asked, his sarcastic tone replaced now by empathy.

"No," Sylvester answered. "I mean, thanks, but Paige wants those numbers crunched ready for our meeting with Richard Elia tomorrow… and Paige is a scary boss."

Toby couldn't help but agree. Paige had been channelling all her energy into her new company, but she was refusing to deal with everything that had happened with Walter and Scorpion and her new team were taking the brunt of her tension. If only he could persuade her to sit down with him for some serious therapy, Toby thought to himself. A friendly chat by the coffee machine now and again was one thing, but Toby knew Paige's issues were buried so deeply that she needed far more than a quick chat. He could help her, he was sure of that, but first she needed to let him in and that was proving a challenge, even for Toby.

Just then Paige strode into the office. She had her laptop under her arm and a pile of paperwork in her hand with her car keys dangling from her forefinger. "Hey," she said breezily. "Are those calculations done yet, Sly?"

"Um… almost," replied Sylvester, swallowing hard.

"Well jump to it!" exclaimed Paige. Then she glanced at Toby and rolled her eyes. "Oh wait, don't tell me, Sly's just had his daily panic attack."

Sylvester blushed with embarrassment and turned away from Paige. Paige's expression softened a little, but she made no attempt at an apology.

"Give him a break, boss," urged Toby with a frown.

"We can all have a break once we've secured this contract," retorted Paige. "Come on, Sly, get your head in the game! I need those numbers!"

"Maybe doing some math will clear my head?" Sylvester mumbled and he scurried across to his desk.

Toby considered following Paige to the small kitchen area in their new office space where she had begun to make coffee, but decided that now wasn't the time for another covert attempt at therapy. Instead he walked over to Sylvester's desk and perched on the corner. "She doesn't mean to be so snippy all the time," he said.

"I know," replied Sylvester. "I get it. It's just how she gets through the day. She snaps at everyone and I freak out. Can I ask you something, Toby?"

"Anything," replied Toby. "As long as it's not the passcode to Happy's phone… because she'd kill me."

"Happy told you her passcode?" exclaimed Sylvester in surprise.

"Yeah," grinned Toby. "I teased it out of her… in bed… just after we'd…"

"Enough!" yelped Sylvester, throwing his hands over his ears and closing his eyes.

"I'm kidding," grinned Toby. "I just figured it out, I can read her like a book. Anyway, what did you want to ask?"

Sylvester sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. "Do you think Paige would have quit if I hadn't done it first? I mean, she quit Walter, but I was the first one to leave Scorpion. Maybe she was planning to stay? Just because she and Walter broke up, doesn't mean she wanted to quit her job."

"Don't even think about blaming yourself, Sly," insisted Toby. "This is all Paige and Walter's doing. We all just got caught in the crossfire. Can you imagine the atmosphere at the garage if she hadn't left? If we'd all just tried to carry on? It would have been more toxic than any chemical spill we've ever had to clean up."

"Do… do you ever think about going back?" asked Sylvester, nervously.

"All the time, pal," admitted Toby. It was the first thing he thought about every day and he knew it was the same for Happy. They hadn't really talked about it, but he knew. "Hap and I didn't officially quit Scorpion," he pointed out. "We just had to get out of that place for a while. We needed a break. It wasn't good for us to be there with Walter in that frame of mind. I guess I never saw it as a permanent arrangement at the time, despite everything. But now we're working for Paige so I guess Walter might not want us back any time soon."

"We're… we're still a family, though," Sylvester half-whispered. "He's… he's my brother. I always felt safe with Scorpion, even when the world was literally about to blow up around us, as dumb as that sounds."

Toby shook his head and smiled. "Doesn't sound dumb," he assured him. "We are a family, we always will be no matter what happens. Walt found us all, saved us from ourselves and brought us together. Trouble is, he didn't always know what to do with the family he'd created so he messed up sometimes, but we all did the same now and again so it didn't really matter. Paige changed things. Paige showed him how much better he could be, but he wasn't ready, so he messed up again. Big time. Paige expected too much too soon and then when Walter couldn't deliver she couldn't handle the fallout."

Sylvester nodded slowly. "Florence… the way she feels about him… it's not his fault really, is it."

Toby shook his head. "Nope," he agreed. "Walter may have the ego the size of a small country, but he really hasn't done anything to make Flo think he was interested in her. He should have realised how hanging out with her might have looked to her though and what Paige would think about it. He only has himself to blame for that part."

Sylvester felt his pulse start to quicken again. "I should apologise to Walter."

"He should apologise to you too," Toby pointed out. "But he's way too arrogant to do that."

"Maybe," admitted Sylvester. "So I'll have to go first. He shouldn't have said those things to me, but I shouldn't have just walked out like that."

"I know you want to talk to him, Sly, but only do it when you're ready," replied Toby, in a calming voice. He knew he and Happy owed Walter an apology too, but he would let Walter sweat for a little while longer. Besides, their own conversation with his old friend wasn't going to be nearly as difficult as Sylvester's. "Don't rush into it, or you'll say something you might regret," he advised. "You need to be absolutely sure you can cope with opening that particular dialogue. It ain't gonna be an easy one."

"I can't cope with anything right now," admitted Sylvester sadly. "If I saw Walter in the street, I'd probably run and hide."

"Hey, we're all coping in our own ways," admitted Toby. "And the more I think it over, the calmer I feel and the closer I think we are to getting the band back together."

"Do you really think so?" asked Sylvester in surprise. "Paige too?"

Sylvester really hoped Toby was right. Team Centipede had been kind of fun for a few weeks. Snatching contracts from under Walter's nose had felt very satisfying, but now the novelty had started to wear off and he was ready to go home.

Toby pursed his lips. "I dunno about Paige," he admitted. "She has a long way to go, much further than the rest of us. But who knows? We all need to take it one day at a time."

"I'd just like one day where I don't feel quite as anxious as the day before," sighed Sylvester.

"And that day will be tomorrow!" announced Toby.

Sylvester suddenly leapt to his feet and punched the air in a gesture of determination. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "We can do this!"

Toby grinned at the younger genius' enthusiasm. But a voice from the kitchen soon put paid to their admittedly premature celebration.

"Sly! Numbers!"

Sylvester and Toby exchanged a worried glance at the angry voice of their new boss… before they suddenly found themselves fighting a mutual fit of nervous giggling.

"You have to fix her," said Sylvester in a low voice, biting hard on his lower lip as his giggles quickly faded. "And soon! I can't take much more of Emotional-Mess Paige." He took another deep breath, following the in-hold-out pattern he had been clutching onto to get through his earlier panic attack.

"Steady, pal," urged Toby. "Take it easy."

Toby watched as Sylvester composed himself and took a moment to think about their conversation. He mulled over a few ideas he'd been having on how to get through to Paige and decided he would put his theories into practice at the earliest opportunity. Once he could get her to understand that her insecurities had led to her outburst Toby was confident that he could guide her back to the right path. He had an uneasy feeling that Mark Collins was involved somehow, but he hadn't quite figured out that part yet. Either way he wasn't sure how much longer Sylvester could cope with the ongoing strain of their broken family. The sooner Team Scorpion were back together the better.


	2. Chapter 2 - Parsley

_**I hadn't intended to continue this - Chapter 1 was going to be a standalone 'one-shot' - but I realised that some of the other ideas I have about the season finale would make more sense as a continuation of this story. Not sure how many chapters there will be, thanks for sticking with it! All comments welcome.**_

 **CHAPTER 2**

A little while later, Sylvester had left for the day having completed all the calculations Paige needed to submit their tender for the contract with Richard Elia. Toby had suggested Happy head for home too, leaving him alone with Paige. He knew he needed to get her to talk if they had any hope of reuniting Scorpion. Even if she decided against going back herself – which Toby knew was a strong possibility – the rest of the team needed her blessing if they were to have any chance of making it work with Walter again.

Paige marched purposefully towards the small kitchen area in their office, dumping her laptop and papers on her desk as she passed it. She opened the cupboard to look for a coffee mug, letting out a small growl of frustration when she found it bare. She slammed the door and crossed to the sink to find their entire, albeit tiny, collection of mugs waiting to be washed. "Do I have to do everything around here?" she hissed to no-one in particular.

Toby sat at his desk and watched her. He'd been watching her a lot lately and he didn't like what he saw. Sly's mental state was giving him cause for concern, but it was nothing compared to Paige's. She shouted, she slammed doors, she cried – a lot, only when she thought she was alone, of course and then she withdrew into herself for hours. The only time she ever behaved like the old Paige was when they were working cases and Toby knew exactly why that was - because it reminded her of her old life, her life with Walter.

After another ten minutes of watching Paige aggressively washing mugs and reorganising the fridge, Toby couldn't take any more. He retrieved the groceries he'd abandoned when he'd arrived earlier and carried them to the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Toby," said Paige, slightly startled. "I thought you'd left with Happy."

"Just had a couple things to finish up," Toby explained. It wasn't untrue, but the work could have waited until the morning. "Do you really think it's a good idea to go after this contract with Elia?" he asked casually as he began to unpack the groceries.

"Of course it is," Paige answered. "He know us, he knows we can do the work. I used to be on his payroll, remember? After I was fired from Scorpion." Her last words were tinged with bitterness. "I should have just stayed there," she added quietly.

Toby glanced up at her, but she turned away from him. She had deliberately avoided using Walter's name, not for the first time. It was as if she was trying to completely block all thoughts of him from her mind. Not a great coping strategy, Toby noted to himself.

"Can't you do something about Sly?" Paige asked in a low voice. "He's so anxious all the time. I can't have a member of my team acting like a… like a…."

"Like a baby?" offered Toby. "Now where have I heard that before?"

To Paige's credit, she didn't react. Instead asking, "What's with the groceries?"

"Figured we could all eat here tomorrow," he replied. "Like we used to, like a… a family dinner." He didn't need to point out to Paige that there were several members of their family missing, her expression said it all.

"So I got a few things," Toby continued. He pulled out a packet of pancetta from one of the bags and put it on the table in front of Paige. Then he placed a bag of fusilli pasta beside it and two tins of tomatoes. "Maybe you could rustle up that Italian bake Sly used to like?" he suggested. "I'll give you a hand. I bought herbs," he added before producing a bunch of fresh parsley and balancing it on top of the tomatoes.

Paige stared at it for a second, before glaring at Toby. "Very subtle," she hissed. Then she turned away.

"My mistake, I meant to buy basil," replied Toby. He pressed his lips together and waited for Paige to speak again, because he knew she would eventually. He just had to be patient.

"I'm not going to let you manipulate me into talking," she said, after a few seconds.

"I thought I was just unpacking groceries," replied Toby, raising his eyebrows in an innocent gesture.

Paige spun round and scowled at him. "I'm not proud of the things I said," she snapped. "Is that what you want me to say? Well I've said it now. I'm not proud of the way everything turned out, but it's just the way it is. You can wave parsley under my nose every day if you want to, but it won't change anything. It doesn't change how I feel and I can't take back what I said."

"But you would if you could?" offered Toby, intrigued by her turn of phrase.

"No!" Paige responded. "That's not what I meant. He deserved it. We didn't break up because of parsley, we broke up because…" she trailed off and let out a long slow sigh.

"Why don't we take this conversation to the couch?" suggested Toby, hopefully.

"So you can shrink me into going back to him?" scoffed Paige.

"Paige, that's not…" he began, but she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Curtis, but I will not be requiring your services today."

"Tomorrow, then?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Paige yelled suddenly. She slammed her hands on the table and her face flushed red with anger.

"Steady, take a breath," urged Toby, holding his hands out in front of him in a calming gesture. He knew Paige sometimes struggled with her temper, but she'd always been able to channel it into something positive in the past. Now, with everything else that had happened, her anger was developing a nasty habit of overwhelming her and it was her team – Team Centipede - who were bearing the brunt of it. She always apologised after an outburst and they did understand that she was dealing with a lot, but it was just a worrying development.

"OK, fine," she said, suddenly, pulling out a chair from the tiny kitchen table and sitting herself down. "Fine, let's do this. Which part of my character would you like to assassinate first?"

Toby sat in the chair opposite. "That's not how this works," he said sympathetically. "I just want to help. And I can help you, I promise, but we'll need to peel back all the layers and start with the root causes of your behaviours. It's gonna take a while, you up for that?"

Paige looked at him and the colour drained from her face. "I'm moving on, Toby," she insisted. "But… I still cry myself to sleep every night. I can't make sense of any of it."

"We'll make sense of it together," Toby tried to reassure her. "Then we can work on resolving things. How you move forward is your decision, but if you want to put things right with Walter then I can get you there… if that's what you want."

"I don't know what I want, but I don't want this," replied Paige, her bottom lip starting to quiver. "Ralph barely talks to me, Sly's having daily panic attacks and you and Happy have put your entire lives on hold. I really miss Cabe, but most of all I miss… Walter."

"OK, let's start at the end and go backwards," suggested Toby. It seemed about as logical as anything else that had happened lately. "Tell me why you reacted the way you did when you found those tickets," he asked her.

"Because I realised I couldn't trust him," replied Paige. "And I realised that we're just too different to make a relationship work. He doesn't understand me and I don't understand him. I thought we were making progress, but I guess not. He should have told me about going to that damn lecture, Toby."

Toby pressed his lips together. "Yes he should," he agreed. "But how would you have reacted if he had?"

"I told him when he was buried in sand that I didn't care what he was keeping from me, that we'd be OK if he just told me the truth."

"That doesn't answer my question," noted Toby. "How would you have reacted?"

Paige chewed on the inside of her cheek as she pondered her answer. "Pretty much the same, I guess," she admitted.

Toby nodded, knowingly. "Interesting that you brought up trust," he noted.

"So, you're saying this is all my fault?" snapped Paige, leaping to her own defence. "Why are you taking his side?"

"I'm not taking sides," Toby tried to reassure her. "I'm trying to get you to see where all this comes from."

"And where might that be?" she huffed, folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

Toby sighed internally, he was losing her again this evening, just like so many of their other impromptu sessions recently. He would have to hit her hard, he realised. It would either make her sit up and take notice, or he'd end up with a black eye.

"OK, consider this," he began. "Walter shouldn't have lied to you, I think we all agree on that, but his assertion that he only did it to spare your feelings was the truth, Paige. It didn't occur to him that you would see it as a deceitful act. He didn't understand that you have trust issues and his actions would hit a nerve."

"Why didn't he understand, though?" asked Paige. "He's a genius and I know he has a low EQ, but surely he knows me well enough by now? He knows all about my mom, and Drew and all of the things we've talked about before that fuel my insecurities."

"He knows the facts, but he doesn't understand how those things affect you, not really," Toby replied. "He can't process that level of emotion. You've done great work with him these last four years, but there's still a long way to go."

"He's still emotionally immature," said Paige and Toby nodded in agreement. She let out a slow breath. "It's not like I don't know that, but I guess I thought it didn't apply to our relationship."

Toby gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. He watched as she struggled with an overwhelming mix of emotion, and tension. "Y'know, Paige," he said eventually after he'd seen enough. "We can pick this up another time." Tonight was not a good time for this after all, he realised. She needed to be much calmer before she would be receptive to any therapy.

"What? Why?" asked Paige, her face falling into a frown. "You've been desperate to get me talking about all this for weeks, now you're ending it? Is there somewhere else you'd rather be?" Her voice had a frosty edge to it.

"We... we have a lot to cover, it'll be better for you if we break it into small chunks," he explained.

"I don't need you treating me with kid gloves, Toby," snapped Paige. She jumped to her feet and glared at him. "You said you could help me, just get on with it." She stamped her foot. "Come on, Toby, I can take it, I'm not the one who's emotionally immature!"

"Oh, says the woman stamping her foot."

Paige glared at him, her nostrils flaring as she tried to control her anger. "Thank you so much for your help, Doctor," she said with more sarcasm than Toby in any of his finest moments. "But I think I'm cured."

xXxXxXx

Sylvester stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. It was going to be another long night. He glanced at his bedside clock – seventeen minutes past midnight. He didn't usually need to check the time, but recently his accurate-to-the-second internal body clock had been a little off – another symptom of his anxiety, Toby had explained. It had only been four minutes and thirty seconds since the last time he'd looked at the clock.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Sylvester leapt out of bed and his heartrate almost doubled. It was the middle of the night, who could be knocking at his door? His mind started to work overtime – what if it was Mark Collins? What if Mark had decided to kidnap him now after the team had rescued Toby from his clutches two years ago? Oh no… oh, god, no…

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Sylvester?"

The quiet voice was accompanied by another knock. Sylvester's breathing immediately slowed a little at the sound of the familiar voice. It wasn't Mark Collins at all.

"Ralph?" Sylvester couldn't quite believe his ears. He hurried towards the door and peered through the spyhole before unhooking the security chain and flinging open the door. "Ralph! What are you doing here? What happened?"

Ralph stepped inside. "Hey, I, er, I guess I should've called first," began Ralph, quietly. "It's just I, er… I need a place to crash."

It was then that Sylvester noticed the large rucksack Ralph had slung over his shoulder. "Um, you mean for the night?"

Ralph nodded. "I had a fight with Mom," he explained. "And I've been trying to figure things out, but the only logical conclusion is for me to leave. Mom will be happier with me gone."

"How is that the logical conclusion?" exclaimed Sylvester. His breathing started to become more erratic again. "I should call Paige," he said and he fumbled around for his phone.

"No!" Ralph cried out, dropping his heavy bag to the floor. "Please, don't call her. I don't want her to know I'm here."

"But… but then I'll be harbouring a fugitive!" Sylvester's voice rose almost an octave as he started to panic. "And… and Paige'll find out eventually… and… and… I can't lie to her, Ralph. Lying is what got us all into this mess in the first place!"

Ralph sighed and picked up his rucksack. "Never mind," he said, turning towards the door. "I'll go to Happy and Toby's instead."

Sylvester stepped in front of him, deliberately blocking his route to the door. "You cannot go back out there at this hour," he insisted. "Your mom will kill me even more if I let you do that."

"You can't kill someone 'even more'," Ralph pointed out. "That makes no sense."

Sylvester frowned at him. "Just give me your bag," he said. "I'll put it in the spare room and then…" he trailed off as he pulled the rucksack from Ralph's shoulder and noticed him wince. "Are you in pain?" he asked.

Ralph walked over to the sofa and slumped down. "It's just a splinter," he said, rolling up his sleeve. "I climbed out the fire escape, must've caught my arm on something."

"Oh god," exclaimed Sylvester. "That needs to come out, it could get infected! It could turn septic! You could die from blood poisoning!" He clamped his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, Ralph," he spluttered. "Ignore that." He let out a quick breath and tried to force a smile onto his lips. "I'll get the first aid kit."

Ralph shook his head. He hadn't been scared by Sylvester's comments at all, of course. He knew the likelihood of developing a life threatening condition from this splinter was slim – a little antibiotic ointment would see to that – but he hated seeing Sylvester in such a state. He started to wish he'd gone to Toby and Happy's, but he had such good memories of staying over with Sylvester that he'd wanted to try to recreate some of them to take his mind off arguing with his mother.

"Here… here it is," said Sylvester as he virtually ran back from the bathroom with the green first-aid kit in his hand. He sat beside Ralph on the sofa and stared at the angry mark on his arm. He could see the large splinter just under Ralph's skin and there was a small amount of blood oozing from the wound. "Oh… oh dear," he said.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

It was no good. Sylvester leapt to his feet and ran back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Ralph waited a moment before following him and he heard the distinct sound of vomiting as he got closer.

"Sly, you OK?" asked Ralph. He knocked on the bathroom door, but the only response was a kind of squeaking noise from Sylvester. "Let me in," Ralph begged. "You're gonna be OK, you just gotta breathe," he urged.

Ralph pressed his ear to the door and heard the rapid gasping that he'd come to recognise in recent weeks. They were all used to Sylvester's panic attacks now, but the suddenness of this one had taken the young genius by surprise. A sudden feeling of guilt washed over him.

"I'm sorry," he called through the door. "I shouldn't have come here, you have enough to deal with." He should have thought this through, he should have gone to Happy and Toby's instead… or maybe he should have just stayed at home…?

Ralph tried to open the bathroom door, but the handle wouldn't turn. "Sly! Let me in!" He tried the door again, but then he realised Sylvester must be sitting against it, his weight preventing it from opening. "Sylvester! Don't worry, I'm getting help!" Ralph called before running to get his phone from his bag. "Just do the breathing!" he continued as he skimmed through his small list of contacts, quickly finding the number he was looking for. "Toby?" Ralph breathed a sigh of relief when he finally answered. "Yes, I know it's the middle of the night… I'm at Sylvester's, you'd better get over here."


	3. Chapter 3 - Paige Down

**CHAPTER 3**

By the time Toby and Happy arrived, Ralph had already removed the lower hinge from the bathroom door. "I used hand sanitiser to lubricate the screws," he explained.

"Nice," noted Happy with a quick grin of approval. She jumped onto a chair, pulled a screwdriver from her back pocket and within seconds the bathroom door was completely off his hinges and Toby was helping a panting, trembling Sylvester to the couch.

"My… my legs feel like… jello," said Sylvester as his breathing finally started to slow down.

"And why is that, Ralph?" asked Toby turning to the young genius as he checked Sylvester's pulse. He could see Ralph was a little shaken and he knew that engaging his genius brain would be calming.

"Because hyperventilating reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the blood and increases the pH level," Ralph replied. "That's why you're feeling weak and dizzy, Sly."

"Thanks… thanks, Ralph," said Sylvester. "I think," he added. His Super Fun Guy pyjamas were soaked in sweat and he wiped the back of his hand across his damp forehead.

"You OK, pal?" asked Toby with concern. "Two in one day? You going for a world record?"

"It's past... midnight," Sylvester pointed out. "So... so I think this counts as… as tomorrow's attack... I mean today's. I… I couldn't help it. It was… it was the blood."

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

"Blood?" exclaimed Happy, looking around the room in case she might have missed a huge red puddle somewhere. "What blood?"

Ralph moved away from Sylvester slightly and pulled up his sleeve. The area around the large splinter was quite red and swollen now, although the bleeding had stopped.

Toby let out a low whistle. "So, you're into body piercing now, Ralphy?" he said with wink. He lifted Ralph's arm and narrowed his eyes to examine the wound more closely. "I can remove it, but I'm gonna have to open it up a little," he explained. "That thing ain't coming out the way it went in."

Ralph nodded and sighed. "I guess I shouldn't have left in such a hurry. Might have been less painful if I'd just walked out the front door."

Toby squeezed his shoulder supportively and reached for his medical bag. Happy took one look at the gloves, dressings and surgical instruments her husband was laying out on the coffee table in front of him and gulped.

"OK, Sly, you and I don't need to see this," she said. "Or I'll wind up on the bathroom floor next. You up to helping me get this door back on?"

"Sure," agreed Sylvester, glad of the distraction and the opportunity to feel useful. He'd been feeling anything but useful lately. He had a lifetime of experience of dealing with his anxieties, but everything had just been so overwhelming since _that_ day that he simply didn't have the strength to stay in control anymore.

Toby opened a tube of topical anaesthetic gel. "This'll numb the pain," he explained to Ralph as he spread a little over the boy's arm with a gloved fingertip. "So, um, you climbed down the fire escape, huh?" he asked as he waited for the gel to take effect. "Didn't know you had a Spiderman thing going on?"

Ralph rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to get out of there in a hurry, that's all," he explained. "Mom said some stuff…" he trailed off and gathered his thoughts before continuing. "She got really mad because… I guess because I didn't tell her that I'd written an email to Walter. I haven't even sent it yet - I don't know if I ever will – but I wanted to write some things down. She saw it on my phone."

"Not good," observed Happy as she re-aligned the first of the hinges.

"I know Walter hurt my mom... again... but I think I still want to see him. I don't really understand what happened..." Ralph trailed off as fought back tears.

"Writing down your feelings is a great way to help you work through them," noted Toby.

"Mom doesn't trust me," Ralph responded, sadly. "She keeps asking if I've been in contact with Walter. I haven't, I promise. She asked me again tonight, then she accused me of lying to her. She said I was just like him. I've wanted to be like Walter ever since we met, but she meant it like an insult."

"We should call her, tell her you're here, tell her you're safe," said Sylvester.

"No!" exclaimed Ralph. "Please."

"Do you really want to put her through the worry of finding you gone in the morning?" Toby asked.

Ralph shrugged. Sylvester and Toby exchanged a glance, it wasn't like Ralph to show so little concern for Paige.

"OK, let's get this splinter out," said Toby. He knew they would have to contact Paige, against Ralph's wishes if necessary, but he hoped he could talk Ralph round before it came to that.

"Y'know, Ralph," began Sylvester as Toby got to work. "I ran away from home when I was fourteen, just a year older than you, but I couldn't go back."

"Do you regret it?" asked Ralph, glad of the distraction. The gel had numbed the pain, but he could still feel that Toby was doing _something_ to his arm.

"Not really… well, I suppose I wish things could have been different," Sylvester tried to explain as he held the bathroom door in place for Happy. "But, I didn't belong there. My parents… I was different and they saw me as a disappointment, but your mom… she understands you."

"She didn't, not until we met Walter," Ralph pointed out. He sighed deeply. "She thought there was something wrong with me and I didn't know how to make her understand."

"But she still loved you unconditionally, she still protected you," Sylvester replied with a smile. "Even though she didn't know why you were different back then, she still did everything she could for you. My parents didn't know how to do that for me."

"Then why can't she accept that Walter is different too?" asked Ralph, sadly. "It makes no sense."

Sylvester didn't really have an answer. Ralph was right, it did make no sense at all. Paige had always understood that Walter and the other geniuses were different to normal humans. That had been her role at Scorpion, the reason why Walter had hired her in the first place – to translate the world for them and to translate _them_ for the world. She had understood Walter more than any other normal human had ever been able to, but now it was apparently those differences that had somehow driven a wedge between them and destroyed their family in the process.

Sylvester shrugged. "Adult relationships are complicated, Ralph," he said, mentally kicking himself for the pathetic attempt at an explanation.

"All done," announced Toby. He pressed a cotton pad against the wound and smiled at Ralph. "Would you like an 'I Was Brave Today' sticker?" he asked with a wink.

Ralph scowled at him. He didn't feel brave, he just felt sad… and lost.

"When the gel wears off in an hour or two it's gonna feel like someone sliced into a few layers of skin… because that's kinda what I just did," continued Toby, with an apologetic shrug. "Why don't you get some sleep?" he suggested as he began to wrap Ralph's arm with a bandage. "But you know you need to go home eventually, pal," he added.

Ralph looked at him. "So do you."

Toby stopped wrapping for a moment. He knew Ralph wasn't talking about him and Happy going back to their apartment. The word 'home' meant so much more. It meant Scorpion. It meant Walter. Toby acknowledged his comment with a silent nod and continued bandaging.

A short while later, Ralph was snoring lightly on the sofa with a blanket draped over him. Sylvester, Happy and Toby had gathered around Sylvester's kitchen table and were drinking coffee.

"You need to sleep too, y'know, Sly," noted Toby.

"Can't sleep," replied Sylvester. "Haven't been able to sleep for four weeks. Can't think why…"

"I think that's a big part of Paige's problem right now," replied Toby. "She's exhausted."

"Insomnia has given me a lot of extra thinking time," Sylvester explained. "And I think... what I mean is... all this anxiety..."

"Spit it out, Sly," urged Happy, impatiently.

"Thing is, after I ran away from home... I was holed up in a hotel room terrified that I was going to spend the rest of my life in jail for bank robbery. Then Walter found me... and he understood. If Walter hadn't taken me under his wing when he did… He saved me and suddenly I had a home and despite all of this I can't... I can't turn my back on Walter forever. He's my brother."

Happy and Toby exchanged a glance. "We're right with you on that one," Happy answered, quietly. "This whole thing just feels wrong. We belong there, with Walter. You, me and Toby. We all need each other."

"So what you said yesterday about getting the team back together...?" Sylvester let his sentence hang.

Toby nodded. "We have to make it work somehow... with or without Paige."

"But what about Ralph?" asked Sylvester. "He's one of us too."

They all turned to look at the sleeping teenage genius for a moment. He looked more peaceful than any of them had felt in the last four weeks.

"Poor kid," said Happy. "I still can't figure out where it all went wrong and I know he's got twenty IQ points on me, but he's only thirteen. He must be going through hell."

"He must be so confused... and hurt," agreed Sylvester, sadly.

"I'm gonna call Paige before she discovers Ralph missing and freaks out," said Happy, suddenly. "Seeing as you two are both too scared to talk to her."

"I'm scared of everything," Sylvester pointed out, as if that was a valid excuse.

Toby sipped at his coffee. "I'm not scared of Paige, lovebug," he insisted. "But if we go over Ralph's head on this one it's just gonna make him feel like he can't trust any of us anymore."

"He's a kid," Happy pointed out. "And Paige is still his mom… and she's a good mom, despite, y'know, everything."

"If she lashed out at him the way she's been lashing out at us recently then I don't blame him for running away," noted Sylvester.

Just then Ralph's phone vibrated loudly. Then it beeped. Toby got to his feet to grab the phone before it disturbed Ralph, but then his own chirpy text alert sounded, followed quickly by Happy's and then Sylvester's.

Toby froze for a second before spinning back to face Happy and Sylvester with wide eyes. "I'm taking a wild guess here," he began. "But I think we might be too late to break the good news to Paige."

Happy pulled her phone from her back pocket and checked the screen. "Yup," she concurred. She was about to respond to the text, but Toby stopped her.

"Wait!" he urged. "I'll call her," he said. "She's probably panicking." He was selecting Paige's number from his contacts as he spoke.

"I guess she could benefit from some of your psychobabble right now," admitted Happy.

Toby frowned. "Psychobabble? I'm not Quincy Berkstead! Oh… hi, Paige? Yes… I know… yes, just listen… Ralph's safe." Toby held the phone away from his ear as Paige screamed. "We're at Sly's… yes… I think he just needed some space… no, he's OK… yes… yes… no, you don't need to come. He's fine, I promise you… no… no, stay there. Wait until the morning… Paige… Paige… no, honestly, you don't need to do that… stay where you are… I'll talk to him. It's OK. Bye."

Toby clicked off his phone and looked up at Sylvester and Happy. "She's not gonna stay there," he said, rolling his eyes. "Maybe I should have tried some psychobabble?"

It wasn't long before Toby's prediction came true.

"Oh god, she came! She's here!" hissed Sylvester at the sound of frantic knocking on his door. "What do we do? What do we do?"

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"I think we should leave her out there all night," replied Toby, facetiously.

Sylvester froze to the spot and stared at him. "Really?" he asked. As much as he didn't want to face Paige, ignoring her seemed like a very bad idea.

"No, of course not!" exclaimed Toby, rolling his eyes. "Let her in, before she wakes up your entire building!"

There was another loud knock and this time Paige called out Sylvester's name. Sylvester hurried to the door, but his trembling hand hovered over the handle. Happy shook her head and flung the door open before Sylvester had a chance to compose himself.

"Paige! You… you came!" exclaimed Sylvester. "Even though Toby said not to."

"Yes, I did," snapped Paige. Her eyes were red from crying and her hair was tangled and pulled back roughly with an elastic. "You have my son."

"You… you make it sound like… like I kidnapped him," replied Sylvester in a shaky voice.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

"When you're hoping for Bruce Banner and the Hulk shows up," Toby muttered under his breath. He stepped towards Paige as Happy closed the door behind her. "Paige, I know you're upset," he began in a calm voice.

"Oh, you noticed?" retorted Paige. "They don't call you a world class behaviourist for nothing. Now, give me back my son."

Toby's let out a small sigh. She was clearly distressed to learn her son had run away – that was to be expected – but he had hoped she would at least have been a little more understanding towards Ralph's feelings.

"He's sleeping," Toby explained. "And he's…"

"He should be at home sleeping in his own bed," snapped Paige. "What was he thinking? He's thirteen years old! Anything could have happened to him out there!"

"He told us about your fight," explained Happy. "The kid's pretty upset. Maybe we should let him sleep?"

"Mom!"

They all spun round to see Ralph on his feet. His eyes were squinting in the light and his face was red with the shock of being woken suddenly.

"It's OK, pal," said Toby in a calm voice. He walked over to Ralph and stood close to him, without taking his eyes off Paige. "Let's all sit down and talk about…"

"I don't want to talk!" exclaimed Paige. "Ralph, I'm sorry I yelled at you, OK?" Her voice was a little calmer, but not much.

"This isn't just about one stupid fight," replied Ralph with more emotion in his voice than he had ever had before. "This is about Walter and Scorpion and… and everything!"

Paige marched over to her son. "Don't make this about him!" she yelled, jabbing an angry finger in his direction. "We don't need Walter O'Brien, do you understand? We don't need him!"

"But Mom… I need him!"

Paige's eyes widened and she pressed her lips tightly together. Her face flushed red as she desperately tried to think of a response, but she had nothing.

"We're all tired," said Toby, gently, putting himself purposefully between Paige and Ralph. "Why don't we drive you home and…"

"I'm not leaving without Ralph," insisted Paige and before anyone could stop her she pushed Toby out of her way and he stumbled sideways, knocking over the floor lamp which stood at the corner of the sofa. It went crashing to the ground and Sylvester gasped.

Happy reached out to steady Toby with one hand whilst simultaneously attempting to prevent Paige from reaching her target, but she was too late to stop her and Paige lunged forward and grabbed Ralph by the forearm.

"Ow!" screamed Ralph as her fingers grasped his injured arm. "You're hurting me!" The anaesthetic gel had worn off while he'd been sleeping and even though her grip wasn't that tight the sudden pain was almost unbearable.

Paige froze for a split second before recoiling in horror as tears sprung to her eyes. "Oh… Ralph!" she exclaimed. Hurting Ralph was the last thing she ever wanted to do and her head started to spin. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She reached out to him again, but he instinctively edged away.

"Mom, it's OK," Ralph began. His sleeve completely covered the bandage Toby had fixed over his wound so Paige had no idea he was already in pain.

Paige fell to her knees. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated, covering her face with her hands and trembling as emotion overwhelmed her.

Toby dropped to one knee in front of her. "It's OK," he said softly. "Just breathe," he encouraged, tenderly placing his hand on her shoulder.

"My arm already hurts, it wasn't you," said Ralph, desperately trying to explain.

"I… I…" Paige stammered. The facts didn't matter to her anymore. "I didn't mean…"

"I know," replied Toby. "And Ralph knows…"

Sylvester went to Ralph and put a comforting arm around his young friend's shoulders. He couldn't believe this horrible mess could get any worse, but apparently it just had.

Paige drew a deep shuddery breath and lifted her head to meet Toby's gaze. He was shocked by the look of fear in her eyes. "Toby… what's happening to me?" she asked, desperately. "I don't recognise myself anymore…"

"It's alright," he said, gently. He grabbed the blanket which had been covering a sleeping Ralph only a few minutes earlier and draped it round Paige's shoulders. "Listen to me, Paige. You're gonna be fine, everything's OK. Let's get you home."

Happy and Toby helped Paige to her feet. Happy tried to flash a supportive smile at Ralph – she was no behaviourist, but it was obvious that he really was struggling to take in what had just happened. She glanced at Toby and drew his eye to where Ralph was standing with Sylvester. "I'll get Paige into the truck," she said. "You have one minute."

Toby nodded and waited until Happy had left with Paige before turning to Ralph. "I know you're a little freaked out," he began. "But I promise you, your mom's OK. She's just exhausted, that's all and sleep deprivation can do weird things."

Ralph nodded silently. He had no words.

"Happy and I are going to take care of her," Toby continued. "But I need you to stay here and take care of Sylvester for me. OK?"

Ralph nodded again. "OK," he said and he slumped back down on the couch.

Sylvester walked Toby to the door. "Is Paige really OK?" asked Sylvester in a quiet voice.

Toby let out a long, slow sigh. "To be honest, pal, I don't know," he replied. "Take care of Ralph, he needs you now."

Sylvester nodded seriously and Toby left. Sylvester turned back to Ralph and his heart almost broke. He'd never seen him looking so lost. They had to fix this mess, they _had_ to.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Morning After

**CHAPTER 4.**

Paige's couch was uncomfortable. Toby had sat on it plenty of times before, of course, but never tried to sleep on it, especially not with Happy draped across his legs. He slowly tried to adjust his position, but the corner of the seat cushion just dug into his thigh even more.

It had taken Toby almost an hour to calm Paige enough for her to fall asleep. After what had happened there had been no question of him leaving her alone and Happy had refused to leave him so they had spent the last few hours dozing together on the uncomfortable couch. Happy stirred and Toby gently stroked her hair with the back of his knuckles in an attempt to prevent her from waking. It didn't work.

"Is it late?" Happy croaked, reluctantly opening one eye.

"Not late enough," replied Toby. He couldn't be bothered to reach for his phone to check the time, or to twist his neck around to look at Paige's wall clock. He didn't need to know the exact time to know that the number of hours' sleep they had clocked up between them that night could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Happy pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. "Last night really happened then," she said in a dejected tone. "I was kinda hoping it was all gonna turn out to be some freaky nightmare," she said.

"Not the first time I've heard that first thing in the morning," noted Toby, dryly. He shifted his weight, hoping the feeling would return to his right butt cheek sooner rather than later.

"Paige is still sleeping, that's good, isn't it?" asked Happy, turning to face her husband.

Toby nodded. "She's going to feel like crap when she wakes up, so the more sleep the better," he replied. He tilted his head slightly, noticing Happy's worried expression. "Hey, it's gonna be OK, sugarplum."

"Wish I had your confidence," replied Happy with a sigh. "Sly's cracking up, now Paige…"

Toby pulled her head towards his shoulder. "Don't worry too much about Sly," he urged, planting a tender kiss on her temple. "He knows how to manage his anxiety, he's been doing it for years. This is just a blip, that's all. He'll get through it."

"What about Paige?" asked Happy, lifting her head slightly. "I never thought I'd see her breakdown like that."

"Medically speaking it wasn't a breakdown," Toby explained as he replayed the events of the night over in his mind. "Let's call it an episode."

"An episode?" repeated Happy incredulously. "Well you know how much I hate a cliffhanger ending, so I want all the spoilers, Doc."

Toby took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "Right now Paige is exhausted, physically and emotionally and all the guilt and anger she's been carrying around finally got too much for her," he tried to explain. "I know it was about as painful to watch as that time Cabe tried karaoke, but last night was a turning point for her."

"And you can help her, right?" Happy queried.

"Could be my biggest challenge yet," admitted Toby. "But when have I ever backed away from a challenge?"

"All the time," retorted Happy. "Especially if looks dangerous."

"Hey!" exclaimed Toby with mock indignation.

Just then the shrill sound of Paige's phone cut into the air. Happy raced over to find Paige's bag and she pulled out the phone. She had intended to answer the call to silence the noise, but when she saw the name on the screen she hesitated and glanced at Toby. "It's Elia," she said.

"Answer it!" Toby urged. "Before it disturbs Paige!" Then he thought for a moment and leapt to his feet. "No, wait!" he said, frantically spreading his hands out in front of him. "I'll talk to him. We need this contract."

He snatched the phone from his indignant wife before she had time to argue. "Mr Elia," he said. "No, I'm not Paige… nothing gets past you does it."

Happy rolled her eyes. "Because sarcasm is really gonna help win us the contract," she mumbled.

"Oh, that's good news," continued Toby. He grinned at Happy and gave a thumbs up sign. "Sure… Yeah… I'll tell Paige… Thanks." Toby clicked off Paige's phone and stared at it for a moment before looking up at Happy with a smile on his face. "He gave us the contract," he said. "Team Centipede!"

Happy didn't look nearly as delighted as Toby. "You realise there's at least three months' work there," she said. "Is there still gonna be a Team Centipede in three months after what we talked about with Sly last night?"

Toby's expression fell to match hers. "I have no idea how Walter's going to react to the idea of meeting up again, I don't even know if he'll answer a call from any of us," he said. "The end was so… messy."

"Hey, I thought you were a genius behaviourist?" Happy responded. "What do you mean you have no idea? You're supposed to know how people are gonna react. You're supposed to know what people are gonna do."

"Darlin', I know that," Toby responded. "And if it was anyone else I'd have a solid theory by now, but…" he trailed off and gathered his thoughts. "Remember how I once said Walt's brain was the only one I couldn't crack? Well, it's true. He baffles me at times. Most of the time, actually. Just when I think I've got him figured out he goes and does something really dumb and I have no idea why."

"Like taking another woman out for the evening and then lying about it to the woman he loves?" offered Happy.

"My point exactly," nodded Toby. "And then continuing to lie about it when all his genius friends tell him it's a really bad idea." Toby slumped back down onto the couch. "Maybe we didn't make it clear enough?"

"What?" exclaimed Happy as she re-joined her husband. "How much clearer could we make it? He's not an idiot… at least I didn't think he was."

"I just wonder sometimes if…" Toby trailed off and closed his eyes. "If I could just get a handle on how his mind works it would be easier to know I was giving him the right advice about Paige. It's like he hears the words, but his brain attaches a different meaning. These past four years I've tried being direct, tried being subtle, even tried some old fashioned reverse psychology, it doesn't seem to make a difference. He just interprets what I say however he wants. I used to think he was being deliberately obtuse just to push my buttons, but now I genuinely think his psyche can't cope with complex ideas about relationships. I should have realised it sooner."

"No! No you don't," Happy sat up straight and glared at him. "I won't let you blame yourself for any of this! The only people to blame are O'Brien and the waitress."

"Maybe we should have pushed Walter – physically if necessary – into telling her?" suggested Toby, opening his eyes again. "Or maybe we should have just told Paige ourselves? Relying on Walt to do the right thing was obviously a big mistake."

"Maybe," admitted Happy. "I honestly thought he and Paige had something there for a while."

"They did… they still do," insisted Toby. "That's what makes this whole mess so much worse. It's all so unnecessary. Something changed over the last year that I still can't make sense of. Something drove them both to this point. I'm hoping once I really drill down into Paige's psyche I can figure it out. There's more to this than just her insecurities and Walter's emotional immaturity."

Happy leaned in and kissed Toby's lips with tenderness. "You're kinda taking on a lot here, Doc," she said. "Don't burn yourself out, OK? It isn't your responsibility to fix Paige, or Sly, or the team... or Walter."

Toby smiled at her concern. "I'm the team shrink," he replied. "Kinda makes it my responsibility. Besides, I want to help. I need to feel useful, I need to keep going over theories in my head or…" the words caught in his throat suddenly and he swallowed hard to keep his emotions in check.

He didn't have to finish his sentence, Happy knew exactly what he meant and how he was feeling. They were both fighting with stress and their conflicting loyalties and it was taking a toll on each of them. The only reason, Happy realised, that they hadn't fallen apart like Paige, or Sylvester, was because they had each other. She slipped her hand into Toby's and squeezed gently. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, darlin'," he replied and they kissed again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Happy had already left when Paige finally woke up. She wanted to go home for a quick shower before heading into the office to start work on the details of the Elia contract. Toby had made himself some coffee and had begun to make a few notes in his notebook about Paige. Despite his love of technology, he always preferred old fashioned pen and paper when he was working with a patient. Somehow it helped him to organise his thoughts. He put down his notebook when Paige emerged from her bedroom. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a simple shirt and applied some make-up so she'd clearly been awake for a while.

"Hey, you're still here," she said. It was meant to sound casual, but Toby could hear the relief in her voice when she realised she wasn't alone. "Ralph… did Ralph come…?" she began, trailing off before the end of her sentence.

"He's still with Sly. I called earlier and they're both doing just fine," Toby reassured her. He had phoned Sylvester to check on him and to make sure Ralph was OK. Sylvester had told him that Ralph had been talking a lot about Walter that morning and Toby assured him that listening was the best thing he could do for Ralph right now. Sylvester had seemed glad of the opportunity to help his young friend and Toby was relieved that there was no sign of anxiety in his voice.

"But… but he is coming home, isn't he?" Paige asked anxiously. "I can't lose Ralph too, not now."

"You're not going to lose Ralph, he just needs some space. And he's helping Sly by spending time with him so it's all good," Toby explained. "I expect he'll be back by tonight, as soon as he gets bored of beating the Sly Dog at chess. There's only so many times a genius can call 'check mate'."

Toby insisted on making Paige some breakfast and while she ate he told her about the call from Richard Elia. Paige barely reacted to the news. She ate quickly and then began to do the washing up, unaware that Toby was watching her like a hawk. She had no idea that she was giving off so many tells just by doing simple housework. The kitchen was soon tidy, but Paige deliberately found extra jobs to do – moving cereal boxes from one shelf to another, wiping down surfaces she'd already wiped and folding tea towels into a neat pile.

"Do you think you could stop already?" asked Toby when he couldn't take it anymore. "All this deflecting is giving me a headache!"

"Deflecting what? I'm not deflecting," insisted Paige.

"Oh, I'm sorry," shrugged Toby. "I thought you were, but I guess you've just been possessed by Mr Spickenspan, the neat and tidy man."

Paige looked at him with a frown, but her expression soon changed. "I… I guess you want me to talk," she said. "About last night, about… my breakdown."

"OK, first off, it was an episode, not a breakdown," began Toby as he gently led her by the arm towards the couch. "And secondly, I do want you to talk, but only if you're ready."

Paige arranged the cushions around her in an attempt to make herself comfortable and Toby sat beside her. "I'm scared," she said suddenly.

Toby nodded, this was a good start. "Go on," he urged.

"I'm scared that I can't control my feelings anymore, I can't control my reactions," continued Paige. "I lash out. All the time. I know I'm doing it, but I can't seem to stop it and I'm terrified. I yell at you guys, at Ralph. None of this is Ralph's fault, but he's been through so much," Paige sighed. "He's totally confused and I can't explain it to him because I don't understand it myself. He thinks I just have to apologise to Walter and then everything'll be OK. I don't think he realises how much Walter hurt me, Toby."

"You don't give the kid enough credit," replied Toby, knowingly. "The fact Ralph hasn't been in contact with him says something, don't y'think?"

"Is Ralph really telling the truth about that?" asked Paige. "I saw the email he wrote, he desperately wants to reconnect with Walter."

"The email he hasn't sent," Toby pointed out. "I saw no deception markers from Ralph last night, he was telling the truth about the email." He paused and watched Paige take in the information, before continuing. "Paige, it's OK to trust people, especially Ralph. He would never do anything to hurt you."

Paige nodded slowly. "The way I yelled at him… I don't blame him for running away."

"You weren't really that mad with him. Y'see, what you're doing is projecting your anger towards Walter onto Ralph," Toby noted, gently.

Paige's eyes widened as he realised Toby was right. "Every time I look at Ralph, I see… I see him, I see Walter," she said and tears sprung to her eyes. "That day… Oh god, Toby, I said some horrible things to Walter that day. But I was so hurt and humiliated and the words just came out, I couldn't stop myself."

"Look, Walt acted like a total jackass over the Flo situation," said Toby. "And you had every right to be mad at him, but…"

"But it was easier for me to self-destruct, than try to resolve the issue," Paige finished as the realisation dawned on her. "And I pulled everyone else into the aftershock."

"Something like that," agreed Toby.

Paige's bottom lip trembled. "I hate… I hate that Mark Collins was right about this," said Paige. "I guess he's known Walter much longer than any of us and…"

"Woah, woah, wait a second," Toby interrupted her, waving his hands in the air as he spoke. "Collins? Still-on-the-run sociopath Collins? Mark Collins who kidnapped me and tried to kill me with a face full of acid? The same Collins who tried to get Cabe jailed for..."

"Yes!" exclaimed Paige, interrupting Toby's manic ranting. "That Mark Collins!"

"Excuse me if I've missed something here," Toby frowned as he spoke. "But what exactly has Mark Collins got to do with any of this?"

Paige sighed. "Nothing," she replied. "It's just that he tried to convince me that things would never work out between us. He said the same to Walter too. Last year, when we were in Norway. It's not important, we knew he was just trying to mess with our heads. The guy's a jerk."

"I'm with you on that one," nodded Toby. "But go back a bit, what exactly did he say to you?"

"He pointed out how different we are, how we would struggle to maintain a relationship," replied Paige. "We told him he was wrong… but it turns out he wasn't."

"No, what _exactly_ did he say," repeated Toby. "I need to know the exact words and if you can describe what he was doing at the time that would be helpful. What was he doing with his hands? Were his eyes slightly closed?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Paige. "Why does it matter what he was doing?"

"Don't you see? He's a genius – he's a sociopath, but he's a genius too," Toby tried to explain. "He picked up on all your doubts and fears - and Walter's too - and he toyed with them." Toby closed his eyes and threw his head back as he realised the significance of Mark Collins' involvement. Suddenly things were starting to make sense, Paige's mood swings, Walter's behaviour with Florence. Toby swore sharply under his breath.

"No, Toby, we knew he was playing games," insisted Paige. "We didn't listen to anything he said."

"But you did," Toby responded. He let out a slow breath and looked at Paige. "He let you think you'd figured out his game, but he's so much smarter than that. He planted thoughts deep inside your psyche using very sophisticated techniques and all this time he's been fuelling your insecurities. So you were just waiting for the inevitable, because your psyche's been programmed to make you think your relationship would never work."

Paige shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense, Toby," she said. "You can't seriously blame Mark Collins for Walter going to that goddamn lecture? Or for the way I reacted when I found out?"

"No, I can't blame him for all of it," agreed Toby. "But because of Collins you were just waiting for Walter to do something like this. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Don't you see?"

Paige shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Toby, but I don't. Everything that happened between me and Walter is our fault. His behaviour was wrong, he hurt me. Then the way I overreacted…"

"But Collins…"

"Forget Collins!" exclaimed Paige. "Forget I ever mentioned him!"

"OK, OK," agreed Toby, spreading his hands out in front of him in a calming gesture. "Let's just go back to you." Toby knew he had a lot of work to do with her, but he wanted to make absolutely sure she was ready before he brought out the big guns.

Paige looked at him seriously. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because I want to help you," replied Toby.

"I know I need help," said Paige. "But I can't expect you to work with me for nothing."

"This isn't work, this is using my training and expertise to help a friend," insisted Toby. "But if it makes you feel better we can work out a weekly payment plan. Week one chocolate chip, week two cherry," he grinned at her. "You always did make the best cookies."

Paige smiled gratefully. "I just don't trust myself anymore," she said. "I've ruined the best thing I ever had because of a part of me I didn't know existed. A part of me that scares me to death."

"Everyone has a part of themselves they don't like… that frightens them. I have several," Toby pointed out. "The trick is to learn how to accept it and know how to control it, how to use it. I'm an addict, I always will be. And I still have self-destructive tendencies. That's really not my favourite part of Tobias Meriwether Curtis, believe me. But that side of me is part of the reason I walked out on Walter when you and Sly left."

Paige looked stunned at his revelation. She really hadn't thought that much about anyone else's reason for leaving that day. "Because you deliberately wanted to destroy your friendship with him?" she offered.

"No, because I knew if I'd stayed I would have said something that would have destroyed our friendship," explained Toby. "And I didn't want to do that. So I knew the only thing I could do was leave."

Paige looked at him as a realisation dawned on her. "You're going to contact Walter aren't you," she said. "You and Happy… and Sly. You want to reconnect."

Toby hesitated before answering. "Paige, we have to try," he said softly. "But I promise you that changes nothing. I'm still here for you, we all are. We're family."

"We're a fractured family," she corrected him.

Toby nodded sadly. "But we're still a family."

 ** _A/N: Now that Scorpion is officially cancelled :'( and there is no future canon to contradict, I will be continuing this story and fixing everything... my way! Please come along for the ride..._**


	5. Chapter 5 - Making Plans

_**I really appreciate all the reviews and comments on this story so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you kindly!**_

 **CHAPTER 5.**

"Mark Collins?" Happy ran her hand through her long, dark hair as she tried to take in Toby's explanation. "Jesus…"

"More like Judas," noted Toby, dryly.

"Bastard."

"Hey, religious jokes aren't my thing either, Hap, but I don't think I deserved that," Toby replied, with a hint of a twinkle in his eye.

Happy scowled at him. "You know damn well I was talking about Collins," she replied. "And believe me I have a whole list of names for him, but bastard was the most polite."

"Yeah, I can think of a few more right now," agreed Toby. He was back home, having left Paige to catch up on some sleep. They had talked and talked and Toby was starting to get a much clearer picture of Paige's thoughts. It was going to take more than a few hours of talking to help her straighten it all out, though, he realised. More like months - so much of it was rooted deeply in her past that she needed to deal with those issues first before she had any hope of making sense of the way her relationship with Walter had imploded.

"I still don't get it," said Happy, frowning as she sat down beside her husband on their couch. She had abandoned her attempt to work on the Elia contract for the day, realising she needed sleep before she could even think about starting to fabricate the machinery she'd designed. "Are you saying Collins planted the dumb idea in her head that she and Walter would never work out? Like a subliminal message, or something?"

"Kinda… well, not exactly," replied Toby. "Thing is, Paige already had a whole heap of insecurities and abandonment issues – you know that – but I think somehow Collins was able to twist those fears and hibernate them in her psyche until a trigger event caused them to resurface."

"How did he know there would be a trigger event?" asked Happy.

"Because he did the same thing to Walter," replied Toby. "I don't know exactly what Collins said to him, but I'm guessing he played on Walt's existing doubts about dating a non-genius. So when Walt overheard Paige talking about how she didn't want to go to the boring lecture…"

"It triggered Walt's fears," Happy interrupted him. "And instead of talking about it with Paige he figured it was the start of the inevitable end of their relationship, just like Collins told him."

Toby grinned at her. "You're getting good at this," he said, draping his arm around her and pulling her head to his shoulder.

"I guess I may have picked up a few things being married to you," she said, with a smile. She had never been as grateful to be with Toby as she was now. A few years ago, Happy would never have imagined she would be married to a man she loved more deeply than she could ever understand and who loved her in equal measure. Someone who could make her feel safe even as their world fell apart around them. Someone to whom she could open herself completely, laying out all her vulnerabilities without fear. She knew she simply would not have been able to get through the last four weeks without Toby and she knew he felt the same way about her. Whatever happened now, if they reconnected with Walter or if their lives took a different direction, she knew they would always have each other and that was really all that mattered in that moment.

"Hey," said Toby, softly, aware that she was lost in her thoughts. "Wanna talk about it?" He was mentally exhausted himself, his head already spinning with Paige's problems, but if Happy needed him he would find extra strength for her.

Happy snuggled closer to him. "No," she replied. "I'm good."

Toby kissed the top of her head. 'Good' was not the word he'd have chosen, but it was better than 'not good' right now.

"I'd be even better if we could find Collins," continued Happy. "And make him pay."

"I know," agreed Toby. "But we gotta remember to keep things in perspective. As much as I'd love nothing more than to pin all of this mess on Mark, it's not entirely his fault. Paige and Walter could have gotten through it all if only Paige wasn't carrying around as much baggage as Kim Kardashian on vacation and Walt wasn't as pig headed as Miss Piggy and Babe and Porky Pig all rolled into one."

"And the Three Little Pigs," added Happy. "Y'know, the ones who huff and puff and blow the house down."

"Actually, Sugarplum, it was the Big Bad Wolf who did the huffing and puffing," Toby pointed out, in his most pedantic voice.

Happy lifted her head away from his shoulder and glared at him. Without missing a beat he blew a quick puff of air on her nose and she couldn't be annoyed at his nit-picking any longer.

"How about I huff and puff and blow your house down?" he offered, with a wink. Then his face fell into a confused frown. "That sounded sexier in my head."

A playful smile danced at the corners of Happy's mouth. "Sexy time? Now, Doc?" she said. "It's the middle of the afternoon."

"Never stopped us before," Toby pointed out. He leaned in and captured her lips in a slow, seductive kiss. "Doctor Curtis prescribes afternoon sexy time, followed by early evening sleepy time. How does that sound?"

"Mmmm," murmured Happy. "Sounds perfect."

xXxXxXxXx

"Hi, guys."

Sylvester and Toby looked up from their laptops as Ralph walked into the office of Centipede Partners. He had spent the night back in his own bed, his decision to leave home having lasted less than twenty four hours.

"Hey, pal," grinned Toby. "Isn't it a school day?"

"Yes, I'm on my way," Ralph replied, slipping his heavy backpack from his shoulders and dropping it onto the nearest desk. "Mom said she'll be here later, she has a few errands to run first."

"How is your mom?" asked Toby. He eyed the teenager carefully as he perched himself on the desk and started to fiddle with a pencil. Thirteen was a difficult age for any boy, worse for a genius, but having half his support network snatched away the way it had been was making everything feel ten times worse for Ralph. Toby missed the days when he could scoop him into his arms and make him laugh just by running around and making silly noises. Today Ralph looked thirteen going on thirty, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"OK… I guess," was Ralph's only reply.

Toby and Sylvester exchanged a concerned glance. It wasn't exactly the most positive response.

"What about you?" Toby asked, softly. "You stopped by here for a reason. I know I'm good, but I'm not a mind reader."

"You kind of are," noted Sylvester. "In a freaky, scary kinda way, I mean."

"Me? Freak and scary?" replied Toby, with a dramatic wave of his hand. "I'm charming and loveable. Come on, Ralphy, back me up here!"

Ralph mustered a small smile. "Goofy and weird, maybe?" he offered.

"So it's pick-on-the-Doc day, is it?" retorted Toby in mock offense. Then his expression softened. "Come on, talk to me, buddy."

Ralph hesitated and Sylvester suddenly felt awkward. "I… I can give you guys some… some privacy?" he offered.

Ralph smiled at him. "No, it's OK, Sly," he said. "Where's Happy?"

"At the hardware store," replied Toby. "Getting some parts for phase one of the Elia project. She won't be long."

As if on cue, the door opened and Happy burst in with an armful of supplies. "Stupid store didn't have any copper nails," she grumbled, without acknowledging anyone. "None at all. Some guy tried to sell me galvanised nails instead. I mean, come on, I need copper for a reason, jackass."

"Hey, Happy," said Ralph, with a grin.

Happy looked up in surprise at the sound of his voice. "Ralph, what are you doing here?" she asked, sounding far more accusatory than she meant to.

"I think Ralph wants a genius talk, am I right?" said Toby, raising his eyebrows in anticipation of the boy's answer. It was clear that whatever Ralph wanted to say, he wanted to say it to all of them at once.

Ralph nodded. "So…" he began, hesitantly. "So… Mom said you guys are going to contact Walter."

Sylvester looked suddenly guilty. "Um… um…" he stammered. "I… I need to talk to him… to apologise to him for… for leaving the way I did," he said, looking desperately to Toby and Happy for support.

Toby let out a long, slow breath before answering. "Listen, Ralphy," he said. "It's not easy to put into words, but despite everything that's happened we have a connection with Walter and I don't think that's ever going to change. The four of us were together a long time before you and your Mom, or Cabe came into our lives."

"We just want to talk to him, that's all," added Happy. "We need to know where we stand. We have some stuff to say to him and I figure he has some stuff to say to us to."

"I promise, nothing will change our relationship with you or your Mom," Toby promised earnestly.

Ralph nodded slowly as he tried to take in their words. "But… but I have a connection with Walter too," he said. "He and my Mom being together… or not… doesn't change that. I know he hurt my Mom, I know he made mistakes, but it doesn't alter the fact that I'm like him and he's like me and I need him to guide me. I can learn from him, I can learn how not to make the same mistakes because he's lived through it and he understands me. I need him in my life, I need all of you guys, I don't think I can do this… be a genius, I mean… without any of you, but especially Walter."

Sylvester swallowed hard to control the surge of emotion he felt at Ralph's passionate speech. He got up from his seat and walked over to join the young genius. "Ralph," he said. "I'm so sorry about all of this."

He stopped and glanced over at Happy and Toby before saying anything else. Toby realised exactly what was going through Sylvester's mind and gave him an encouraging nod.

"And you're right," continued Sylvester. "We are the same, all of us, in our different ways and we need to be together. Somehow. So if it's OK with Paige then you are one hundred percent included in our plan. Whatever that might be… because we don't have one yet." He pulled Ralph into a warm hug and even Happy couldn't help but smile as Ralph buried his face into Sylvester's chest.

"I wish none of this had ever happened," he said in a shaky voice.

Toby put a supportive hand on the boy's back and another on Sylvester's shoulder. "We all do," he said. "Let me talk to your Mom, I'm sure she'll understand."

Ralph nodded and Sylvester squeezed him a little tighter.

"OK, so when Sly's finished trying to make Ralph-juice, how about I run you to school?" offered Happy.

Ralph pulled away from Sylvester and looked at her with wide, excited eyes. "On the bike?" he asked.

"No!" responded Toby and Sylvester in unison.

Happy rolled her eyes. "Sorry," she said. "I guess we'll have to save that until these two old fogeys aren't here to stop us."

xXxXxXxXx

Paige arrived at the office a short while after Happy returned from taking Ralph to school. "Gather round, staff meeting," she announced before she'd even sat at her desk and the others convened around the small conference table in the corner. "I just wanted to apologise for allowing my personal issues to affect the business," she said, taking everyone a little by surprise.

"Paige, your personal issues are all of our personal issues," Sylvester pointed out. "We're in this together, remember? You have no need to apologise."

Paige smiled warmly at him. "Thank you," she said. She glanced briefly at Toby before continuing. "As you probably know already – because there are no secrets in this garage… er, office…" she closed her eyes and blushed hard at her Freudian slip. "Office," she repeated. "What I was, er… what I was going to say was that Toby has agreed to help me deal with a few things. So I'm officially 'in therapy'…" - she mimed finger quotes in the air – "…for the foreseeable future. I don't know yet where that will lead me. I'm probably going to learn a few things about myself that I'm not going to like – a few more things – so I apologise in advance if my mood affects my work. I'm going to need you all to tell it to me straight if I need telling, OK? Be blunt with me. I know you will, I just wanted to say it, that's all."

Sylvester reached across and squeezed her forearm. "Paige, I promise to be as blunt as I can," he said with a smile.

"Me too," added Happy, dryly.

Paige couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you… I think," she said. "I know things haven't been easy for any of us…" she trailed off and her smile faded. "And I'm especially sorry all of this has affected Ralph. I know he came to see you this morning."

"You do?" said Sylvester in surprise.

"I didn't know, I was guessing, but you've just confirmed it," responded Paige with a slightly smug grin. "I told him that you guys were thinking about contacting Walter," she said. "I thought he had a right to know."

Toby nodded seriously. "And you've figured out that he wanted in," he said.

Paige shrugged. "I assume you told him no, right?"

Toby, Happy and Sylvester all exchanged an awkward glance.

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Paige. "You know how I feel about it! I can't have my son…" but she couldn't finish her sentence as the reality of what she had been about to say hit her. "I can't… I can't stop him, can I…"

"He's a minor, you're his parent, you have every right to stop him if that's what you want," Toby pointed out. "And of course we'll respect your decision, but… maybe you should just hear him out on this one?"

Paige sighed. "Walter and I… we…" she stopped as the words choked her. "We… but… Ralph doesn't deserve any of this." She looked slowly from Sylvester, to Toby, to Happy. "He needs Walter in his life and I don't have the right to take that away from him. Please… please take care of my son," she urged. "You nerds need to stick together, I understand that, but I don't want him hurt any more than he already is."

"Listen up, Waitress," said Happy, seriously. "We all love that kid. We'd never let anything happen to him."

Paige smiled and nodded at her and tears sprung to her eyes. "I know," she whispered.

"He still needs you too," Toby said reassuringly. "Probably more now than ever."

After Paige had gone to the bathroom to dry her eyes and fix her make-up, Sylvester went back to his desk and opened his laptop, but he quickly snapped it shut again. "I should go see Walter," he said, with determination. "I was the one who quit first, he's my brother, I should be the one to talk to him."

"I don't think that's a good idea," replied Happy, glancing nervously at Toby.

"You think I'll fall apart," replied Sylvester, sadly. He closed his eyes and thought about how a conversation with Walter might go and he didn't like what his mind was telling him. "Maybe you're right," he reluctantly agreed, forcing an all too familiar feeling of anxiety down and taking a deep breath.

"I think we need to approach this from another angle," suggested Toby. "The way Walter is probably feeling right now, marching in there and demanding a heart to heart is gonna freak him out. He'll shut down, retreat into himself more than he ever has before and we'll get nowhere. I have a better idea. I'm going to call Cabe."

 _To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6 - Quintis Down

_**If you want to know exactly what happens when Toby meets with Cabe, you'll need to read my other fic -** Coffee and Cabe - **which some of you may have already read. I posted it a few weeks ago before I realised I'd be writing this entire 'fix-it fic', but it fits perfectly into this story so I didn't see any need to write the whole scene again! (If you don't want to read it, this chapter does make sense on its own.)**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone for following this story, I really appreciate all your comments.**_

 **CHAPTER 6.**

And so the next afternoon, Happy found herself sitting in her truck in the parking lot at Kovelsky's, while Toby was inside talking to Cabe. Toby understood why she had refused to go in. As much as she wanted to see Cabe, to tell him how much she missed having him in her life - how much she loved him – he knew she wouldn't know how to process her emotions in that situation. Leaving the conversation to Toby was the sensible solution.

Toby had decided not to tell Cabe exactly how bad things were with Paige, or about how it had all affected Sylvester, or about the extent of Mark Collins' mind games, but he had told Paige he was going to be honest with the older man about their desire to get the team back together. Paige had agreed without any doubt that honesty was what she wanted from now on.

Happy fiddled with the radio buttons, trying to find a station that wasn't playing sentimental songs. She found some hardcore dance music and turned it up loudly to take her mind off what might be going on inside the diner. What if Cabe told Toby that Walter wanted nothing to do with them again? She couldn't really blame him after what had happened. She understood why Paige had reacted the way she did – communication and trust were two of the most important things in a relationship and those were the two things Paige and Walter had failed at – but the way everything else had exploded after that made little sense. She and Toby had walked away to avoid further argument, which had been the right thing to do at the time, but they had never expected it to be the end. They had never expected Paige to invite them to join Centipede Partners. They had never expected to be Walter's rivals. That's not what they wanted, it had just happened and it all felt so wrong.

Happy glanced up as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Oh no… Toby," she whispered. Her husband was walking across with parking lot with Cabe close behind. She was already shaking her head when Toby leaned in through the window of the truck.

"It's just Cabe," Toby explained, gently. "He's missed you."

And before she knew what was happening she was sobbing in Cabe's arms.

Happy was quiet and withdrawn when they got home. She went straight to the spare room to take apart a gearbox she'd picked up at auction a few weeks ago, telling Toby she wanted to be alone. Toby wasn't concerned, he had anticipated that the emotions unleashed by seeing Cabe would have this affect on her and he tried his best to allow her some space to work through her thoughts, even though all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be OK.

Talking to Cabe had given him a lot to think about too. He was more hopeful than ever now that the team would reunite somehow, but he was worried about Walter. From what Cabe had told him, it sounded like his old friend had taken the break up even harder than Toby could have imagined.

Toby flicked through the TV channels, but couldn't find anything to watch. He contemplated pouring himself another coffee, but decided against it - he'd already had far too much caffeine today already. Instead he picked up his notebook and thought about how he was going to help Paige. She had agreed to cancel all her work commitments tomorrow afternoon for another therapy session and Toby knew it was going to be a tough one.

Toby flicked through the notes he'd already made and then looked around for a pen. He usually had one clipped to the back page of the notebook, but it wasn't there. He couldn't remember moving it and he frowned to himself, wondering if all the stress of the last few weeks was getting to him more than he realised. Sometimes he would wake in the middle of the night and wonder how he was holding himself together, but then he remembered Happy lying beside him and he knew. She was holding him together. Just by being there. She was everything he needed.

Before he could look anywhere else for his missing pen, Happy emerged. Her hands were filthy and there was a smudge of grease on her nose. Toby smiled and got to his feet. "Hey, darlin'," he said, with a smile. "You might want to, er..." he rubbed his thumb over his own nose to show her what he meant.

"Oh," said Happy and she copied his gesture, but it only served to spread more grease and Toby grinned. Something about seeing Happy like that turned him on in a way he couldn't explain and if he'd thought she was remotely in the mood he would have grabbed her hand and taken her to bed, but he knew that wasn't what she needed right now.

"Let me," he said and he pulled a tissue from the box on the table. Happy stood still while he tried to clean off the grease. The tissue didn't do a perfect job, but it was good enough for now. He kissed her nose lightly. "There," he said, softly. "So, d'you wanna talk now?"

"No," Happy replied curtly. "I'm going out."

Toby took a second to read her as she stomped over to the side to get the keys to her truck. She was one of the most emotionally closed off people he knew, but he could read her as easily as the pages of a book. He had hoped working on the gearbox would have calmed her, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect. "On your own?" he asked and she nodded. "Where?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?" she snapped at him.

Toby stepped forward and tried to pull her into a hug, but she resisted.

"Talk to me, Hap," urged Toby, bracing himself for what was coming. "Tell me how you feel."

Happy gritted her teeth and fought to hide the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes. "I feel... angry," she replied. "Really goddamn angry and it sucks. I hate what it's doing to me. I'm sick of this, I just want things to go back to the way they were, but I know that ain't gonna happen."

"Anger is a destructive emotion, sugarplum," replied Toby in a matter of fact way. "So it's good to let it out. It's not normally something you have trouble doing, but I didn't hear any panel beating going on in there just now? Don't bottle it up, OK? Hit something, smash something, whatever you need to do."

Happy sighed. "OK," she agreed. "But it just feels wrong. Beating on... well, these are people that I... that I care about, Doc. It's Paige and Walt and... and Sly, for God's sake, I can't panel beat Sly!"

Toby nodded. "I know," he said. "I think you need to work through your feelings towards everyone and about what happened - all your feelings – before we try to reunite the team."

"Maybe," agreed Happy. "Thing is, I've never once been mad at Sly before. Ever. I just can't make sense of what was going through his head that day. Seeing him lash out at O'Brien like that. If Cabe hadn't jumped in I was ready to vault over the desk and pull them apart myself."

"Sly has a lot of issues, mostly to do with Megan," began Toby. "I think it would do you good to sit down with him and just listen to him. It might help you to understand and I think he needs to know how you feel too."

"Great idea, Doc," retorted Happy. "He's already had enough panic attacks to last a lifetime and now you want me to tell him that I'm mad at him?"

"You're not mad at him anymore," Toby pointed out. "You just have feelings about what happened – we all do – and it would be best to lay them all out on the table."

Happy sighed and finally allowed Toby to wrap his arms around her.

"It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise," he said, softly. He felt her tears soaking through his shirt and he tenderly kissed the top of her head. "So, you still wanna go out to wherever it was you were going?"

Happy pulled back a little and Toby released her from his grasp. She took another step backwards and was about to answer his question, when she accidentally kicked the leg of the table and Toby's notebook went flying onto the floor. "Sorry, Doc," she mumbled as she bent her knees to retrieve it for him.

"Wait!" Toby suddenly exclaimed and he grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"What the hell?" she responded with a glare as she fought to keep her balance.

Toby's eyes were wide and his breathing had become shallow and rapid.

"Doc?" Happy was immediately concerned. He had gone from reassuring her to being completely terrified and she had no idea why.

"Look," said Toby, pointing to his notebook which was still on the floor. He had started a new notebook for Paige and all the notes he'd made about her so far had only taken up the first few pages of the book, but it had fallen open at a page roughly in the middle. Clearly scrawled across the page in black ink were the words – 'R.I.P. Scorpion'.

It took Happy a second to realise the significance of what they could see. "Oh no… oh god, no!" she said.

"Mark Collins," confirmed Toby. He would recognise that handwriting anywhere, with its flourishes of ornate, angular lettering, open vowels and left-slanting capitals – all typical of a sociopath. "He was here."

"Here? In our home?" Happy could feel her heart beating in her chest as she tried to make sense of it. "When? How? The security system..."

"Is infallible to any other criminal, but not a genius sociopath like Mark," replied Toby, his voice trembling with horror.

"I'll… I'll reconfigure it," said Happy, wringing her hands together tightly. "This… this can't happen again. What if we had kids, Toby? What if our kids were here and he got in and…" she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as an abhorrent sense of dread tumbled into her thoughts.

Toby ran his hand through his hair and used every ounce of his training to dull the sense of panic that was building up inside him. He went over the logical steps and reasoning behind Mark Collins' actions. "He got in, probably read all the notes I've made about Paige – not that he needed to because he's no doubt already aware of everything that's happened to us – and he wanted to gloat. The bastard!"

Happy picked up the notebook and hurled it against the wall. "There!" she exclaimed. "I'm dealing with my anger!"

"That's good, sugarpuff," replied Toby. He slumped down onto the couch to gather his thoughts. "Mark is taking all the credit," he said, shaking his head. "He knew exactly what he was doing when he said those things to Walt and Paige and now he's got precisely what he's always wanted – the destruction of Scorpion – and he truly believes that it's all down to him. He's wrong, it's way more complicated than that, but he'll never believe it."

"But we're gonna fix Scorpion," replied Happy, as more tears threatened to overwhelm her. "We'll prove him wrong. He's wrong, Toby. Scorpion isn't over!"

Toby shook his head. "Not by a long shot," he said.

"That sonofabitch almost had Cabe sent to jail and now this! Where the hell is he hiding?" asked Happy, pacing around the room. "CLAM couldn't track him down and he then got Cabe again with that banking setup, but the four of us – five including Ralph – have a combined IQ of almost a thousand, for god's sake, we can hunt him down and make him pay. Whatever underground bunker that lowlife piece of scum is cowering in, we'll get him. We have to, Toby! I wanna kick his ass so badly. I wanna get my hands around his neck and squeeze so hard and watch him suffer…"

"Hey, hey!" Toby interrupted her. "Take a breath. Thinking about all the things we want to do to Collins isn't helping."

"The point is we can only do this if we work together!" exclaimed Happy. "All of us! I'm gonna go see O'Brien."

"No, you can't," replied Toby, spreading his hands out in front of him.

Happy stopped dead in her tracks. "Go to hell!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "You can't stop me, Toby! I need to talk to him, I can't take any more of this. He always listens to me… well, he did, before the stupid lecture thing. Damnit, he's gonna listen to me this time! Forget all the dancing on eggshells, I'm going straight to O'Brien and I'm gonna tell him that he needs to get his head together and…"

"But…"

"Don't you dare try to tell me I can't go!" She pushed past him and out of the apartment, before Toby had the chance to get another word in edgeways.

Toby sighed and hung his head. They couldn't afford to fight, he knew that, but when Happy was in one of these moods there was no point running after her. She needed time alone to process her thoughts about Walter and about Collins, but she needed to know the facts too so he grabbed his phone and quickly typed out a text message – 'Walter is out of town'. Cabe had told him earlier, but he realised he hadn't passed on that information to Happy.

And while he waited for a reply he texted Cabe to tell him about Collins. Cabe's reply was a one word expletive.

It couldn't have been longer than four minutes before the door opened and Happy walked back in. She stopped in the doorway and took a shaky breath. "I'm… sorry," she mumbled.

"It's OK," he tried to reassure her. "You're scared and angry, I get it."

"What about you?" she asked. "You're not freaking out?"

"I am, lovebug," Toby replied. "Look." He spread his hands out in front of him and Happy could see how much they were trembling. "But Collins has already damaged Walter and Paige – maybe beyond repair, we don't know yet. If we let him get between us too, then he's won and I'd sooner blast my hat into space than let him win."

"No one's ever gonna get between us," replied Happy with determination. "I'm sorry I told you to go to hell."

"Darlin', it's OK," he insisted.

She strode purposefully across the room towards him. "It's not OK," she replied and before Toby had time to answer, her lips were pressed against his. Toby staggered back a step at the ferocity of her onslaught, but he wasn't about to complain. If this was her apology he would accept it willingly.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Breathe in… and hold… and breathe out. C'mon, Sly, you're OK."

Sylvester shook his head as he desperately tried to regain control. "Mark… Mark Collins!" he gasped.

"I know, pal," nodded Toby. "Believe me, this is the last thing I wanted to tell you. Breathe in… good, you're doing great… and out."

Sylvester's eyes darted around his apartment. He had been surprised to see Happy and Toby on his doorstep so early in the morning, but he had never imagined they would be there to tell him about Collins' visit. Now all he could think about was their old nemesis and the prospect of him being in his apartment too. What if Collins had already left a message somewhere and he just hadn't found it yet? What if he was next to be kidnapped? They'd rescued Toby from his evil clutches, but now Team Scorpion was shattered in two so how would they ever save him? He was convinced that he was going to die at the hands of a genius sociopath and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Sly… Sly!" Toby had to raise his voice to get through to him this time. "Don't do this," he urged, grasping his forearm tightly. "We're right here, you're safe, I promise you. Just breathe."

"Listen to me, Sly," said Happy. "Cabe's in, OK? And as soon as Walt gets back I'm gonna make him see sense and we're gonna fix all of this. All of it."

Sylvester nodded. He had been starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the recent talk about getting the team back together had given him hope and he had actually felt some of his anxiety lifting. Now with the news that Collins was still around… somewhere… it had all come crashing down again. He wiped the sweat from his face with a shaky hand. "We… need… Walter," he said.

"I know," agreed Toby. "If his ego was a fly on the wall right now…" he flashed a grin, hoping a little humour would help pull Sylvester back, but it didn't seem to do any good. "OK, OK," he said. "Let's try something else. Do you remember how we used to do this when I first met you?"

Sylvester nodded. "Prime… numbers…"

Toby nodded. When Sylvester was a teenager his anxiety had reached extreme heights and Toby had tried various techniques to get it under control with little success. Then he'd hit on the idea of using Sylvester's special propensity for numbers as a tool and they'd spent many a late night at the garage reciting prime numbers together. Toby had been glad of the chance to help his young friend, of course, but at the same time it had the added bonus of keeping him away from the casino and from all the nefarious people he owed money to.

"Let's just skip straight to five digits," suggested Toby. "Nice and slow, remember to breathe."

"Ten… thousand and… seven," began Sylvester. "Ten thousand… and nine. Ten thousand… and… thirty seven."

"Slow down," urged Toby. "It's not a race."

"Ten thousand and… thirty nine."

Just then Toby's phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. He glanced at the screen as Sylvester moved through the mid-ten thousands. "It's Cabe," he said, glancing at Happy. "Walter's back."

Happy immediately leapt to her feet. "Keep counting, Sly," she said. "I'm going to see Walter."

 _To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7 - Maybe

**Happy goes to see Walter and Toby helps Paige learn something about herself.**

 ** _For everyone who has been waiting for Walter to appear in this story, here he is! Thank you all for your reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

 **CHAPTER 7.**

"Did you tell him I was coming?"

Happy stood outside the garage, her head spinning with tangle of emotions. Toby had wanted to come with her, but she'd insisted she needed to do this alone. Now she was starting to wonder if that decision had been a big mistake. She hung her helmet over the handlebars of her motorbike and looked at Cabe, not quite able to believe she was back here.

Cabe shook his head. "Nope," he replied. "Figured the element of surprise might be good. And I didn't say anything about Collins either. The weird way Walt's been acting lately, I don't know how he'll react when he finds out."

Happy nodded. "I'll tell him about Collins." She could feel her hands trembling and she took two deep breaths to try to compose herself. There was no need to be nervous, she tried to convince herself. It was only Walter. They'd been good friends for years. She was just going to talk to an old friend, that's all. How hard could it be? What could go wrong? Unless she said something to make this whole, terrible situation worse. "Any chance we're gonna get busted by Flo?" she asked.

"Nope, she's got some kind of meeting today," replied Cabe. "Do you want me to stick around?"

Happy desperately wanted to say yes. She wanted Cabe to walk in with her, to hold her hand if necessary, to be ready to shut her down if she was too direct with Walter. Too blunt. She knew her manner could be harsh at times, but Walter had always understood that side of her. They were very alike in that way, neither of them being ones for small talk. Get straight to the point, Happy thought to herself. Tell him that the team needed to be together, tell him whatever stupid differences they thought they had they could overcome them all and get their family back on track. Tell him she needed him in her life. Tell him she missed him. It all sounded so straightforward in her head.

"Happy?" Cabe prompted with a concerned expression on his face.

"Oh, um, no, I'm good," she replied and without another word she walked into the garage.

Everything seemed so familiar. Very little had changed in the last four weeks, it appeared. She had expected to see one of their old desks covered in test tubes and vials of chemicals, but there was no sign that Florence had ever set foot in the garage at all. Happy knew the chemist was working with Walter now, but apparently she hadn't moved in, or invaded his space in any way. Maybe that's exactly how Walter wanted it? Happy couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at that particular realisation.

She took another deep breath. "O'Brien?" she called out.

In less than a heartbeat, Walter appeared at the top of the stairs. "H...Happy!" he exclaimed. He ran down a few steps before stopping again. "You're... you're back! You're here! I mean a...are you back?" He skipped down the remainder of the steps until he was standing only a few feet away from her.

Happy stood with her hands on her hips. "Back for good, you mean?" she asked incredulously. "You honestly think it's as simple as that?"

"I... I don't know?" he admitted.

"I came here to talk," she said. "We need to talk, Walt."

Walter stood motionless for a moment before replying, "I see no benefit in talking about our feelings, if that's what you're suggesting."

Happy sighed. "Of course you don't. Do you want me to go?" she asked, calling his bluff. There was no way she was walking out of here yet.

"It wouldn't be the first time," noted Walter.

Happy clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. She had been prepared for Walter to be… well, Walter. Stubborn, closed off, immature – Paige's analysis on that particular aspect had been accurate enough. But they hadn't even sat down yet and already she could feel the frustration in danger of overwhelming her.

"Listen to me, Walt," she said. "I'm not here to talk about you and Paige and what happened that day."

"The day you and Toby left," responded Walter with more than a little sting in his voice.

Happy sighed. "We walked out because we had to," she tried to explain. "Because we couldn't stay here and watch you destroy everything."

"Th...there was very little left to destroy by that stage," Walter pointed out.

Happy nodded, he had a good point. "We didn't want this, O'Brien. We don't want any of this."

"And you think I do?"

There was a moment of silence as the two of them realised how they were in the same situation. Walter had been carrying so much anger and resentment that he hadn't really considered how Happy and the others were feeling, but of course they would be going through exactly the same, he conceded. They had lost everything too, just like he had.

"Look, I don't know what happened with you and Paige," continued Happy. "I don't know if what you had is salvageable, but..."

"Salvageable?"

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it?"

"I... I don't know? I mean, no, not really. I thought it was over. Paige said..."

"Paige said a lot of dumb things she didn't mean. Jeez, you really don't have a clue do you."

"Apparently not," shrugged Walter. He had tried and failed to make sense of everything over the last four weeks, but none of his thought processes had led him to believe that Paige would want to rekindle their romance. Suddenly, there was a spark of hope. Happy had been spending time with Paige, so what had they talked about? What had Paige said about him? About them? Now he had a hundred questions to ask Happy, but he couldn't find the words.

"Like I said, I'm not here about your relationship with Paige," continued Happy. "You guys need to figure all of that out for yourselves one day. I'm here about us."

"Us? You and me?"

"You, me, Toby, Sylvester," nodded Happy. "And… and Ralph."

Walter's eyes brightened at the mention of Ralph's name. "H…how is Ralph?"

Happy threw her arms in the air. "How do you think he is? He's angry, confused, hurt… just like we all are! And we can't take any more. We need each other. We need to be together. And right now I have no idea how we're gonna do it, but we have to find a way."

Walter suddenly found himself unable to speak. Happy didn't often give heartfelt speeches and her words had rendered his logical brain momentarily useless.

"Are we just gonna stand here and stare at each other?" asked Happy when she'd had enough of waiting for him to speak.

Walter shook his head slowly. "We could… we could sit, if th…that would make you feel more comfortable?"

He nodded towards the couch. It was still in the same place as it had always been and Happy noticed the books on the coffee table in front had not moved since the day they'd left. There were three of Toby's medical textbooks, a cookbook Paige had left there as a not-so-subtle hint for the geniuses and an old book about motorcycles Cabe had found for her.

Happy sat down with a heavy sigh. "OK, I'm just gonna cut to the chase," she said. "We need you and you need us so we need to figure something out."

Walter didn't respond. Instead he just stared at her, waiting – she assumed – for her to say something else.

"You brought us all together," she continued. "We've been a family for a long time, since before Paige came into our lives… I guess what I'm trying to say is that Scorpion doesn't have to be over, just because you and Paige might be."

Walter frowned. "That's the second time you've intimated that Paige and I could…"

"I don't care about you and Paige!" exclaimed Happy. Then she screwed up her face, that wasn't how it was supposed to sound at all. "I didn't mean that," she said quickly. "What I mean is, this family is so important to me and Toby and Sly and…" she paused, hoping she was reading her old friend correctly. "And you."

Walter's face flushed and Happy knew he was fighting to quell an emotional outburst. She had definitely hit a raw nerve and there was no stopping her now.

"OK, think about this," she said. "Years ago you pulled us all out of our own particular versions of hell and gave us a place where we belonged. You did that. Not Paige, or Cabe, you. You always chucked food at Sly when his head disappeared into an equation and he forgot to eat, you always bailed Toby out of whatever stupid trouble he got himself into and you always helped me to remember that I wasn't alone. That's who we are. And the way I see it is if Ralph had been hanging out in that diner alone that day, you would still have connected with him somehow. He's one of us, no matter who his mom is and we geniuses need each other."

"Are you suggesting we go b…back to the way it was?" asked Walter.

"We can't go back, dummy," retorted Happy. "But we can rebuild. We can make ourselves a future. We're stronger together. You said that yourself once."

Walter nodded. He had indeed said that – and meant it, too - just after he'd woken from THAT dream. The dream where he'd been married to Florence. The dream that had continued to invade his thoughts and sent him into a spiral of uncertainty that had ultimately led them all to the terrible place they now found themselves in.

"You still with me?" asked Happy.

"Y…yes," replied Walter. "I understand what you're saying, but the others… Sylvester…" he trailed off, choking back emotion.

"Sly is missing you like crazy," replied Happy. "He's in a… well, he's kinda got himself into a fix over everything, but if you just give him the chance to apologise…"

"He doesn't need to apologise to me, I need to apologise to him," replied Walter, quietly. "I said things t…to him that I didn't mean, I don't know where those words came from?"

"D'you think maybe that's how Paige feels too?" suggested Happy.

"I thought we weren't talking about Paige," he replied, curtly.

Happy raised her hands in surrender. "You're right, I'm sorry," she said. It was clear that reuniting the team was a distinct possibility, but if Paige and Walter had any hope of reconnecting – even just as friends – they still had a lot to work through. "Listen, Walt, there's something else that you need to know. Mark Collins."

"What has he got to do with all this?" asked Walter, his mood instantly darkening at the mention of that name.

"A lot, apparently," replied Happy. "You remember in Norway how he said stupid stuff about you and Paige?"

"He was attempting to… to manipulate us, but we took no notice of his childish games," responded Walter.

"Yeah, well, Toby figures Collins was too smart to let you get off that easily," Happy explained. "Seems Collins planted these sort of subliminal seeds of doubt in both your brains and now the bastard is claiming some kind of victory 'coz Scorpion imploded and you guys broke up even though it's way more complicated than that."

"He is?" Walter's voice was quiet now. "How… how do you know this?"

"Because he came into our apartment and left a dumb note," Happy explained, her voice rising in anger. "He's still out there, O'Brien and who knows what he's planning next."

Walter was visibly shaken by her news and she allowed him a moment to process the information.

Collins terrified Walter because he was so unpredictable. Walter had assumed Collins would be far away by now. He was a wanted man so surely hanging around here wasn't the smartest thing to do – surely he didn't want to be recaptured, did he? "I guess he believes he will never be caught," admitted Walter. "He could be right."

"No!" exclaimed Happy, thumping her fist down on the table as she spoke. "We can't just give up! No matter what happens afterwards, we have to get Collins. The guy's a nut job. He tried to kill Toby, or did you forget that?"

"Are you suggesting he could make another attempt on one of our lives?" asked Walter.

"Who knows? He's unpredictable, even Toby can't figure him out," replied Happy. "But maybe five genius brains can?"

"Five?" repeated Walter. "Y…you think we should bring Ralph in on this too?"

"Yes," replied Happy with a nod. "We need him. He's smarter than you, Walt."

"I d…don't think Paige would…"

"Let Toby handle Paige," Happy interrupted him. "Collins is out there somewhere right now. What if his next stupid plan involves Ralph? We can't allow that to happen."

"Absolutely not," agreed Walter, his heart thumping as he considered the possibility of Collins hurting Ralph.

"So, are you in?" asked Happy. "Team Scorpion against Mark Collins. And then after Collins is captured, who knows? If it doesn't work, if we really can't be a team again then we go back to this – whatever you want to call this. At least we would've tried, right?"

"It would seem that the most efficient solution is to combine forces," agreed Walter.

Happy allowed herself a slow sigh of relief. Maybe there was hope after all…?

xXxXxXxXx

"Do you think they're still talking?"

"Paige, I'm starting to wish I hadn't told you where Happy is." Toby snapped his notebook shut and tilted his head slightly. "If you're going to get anything out of this session I need you focussed."

Paige nodded slowly. The familiar surroundings of Toby and Happy's apartment could have been a million miles away right now, the only thing she could think of was that Happy was talking to Walter… and she wasn't. "I'm sorry, Toby," she said. "And I'm glad you told me. Apparently I can't handle secrets and lies."

"Paige," Toby's voice was gentler now. "If you want to postpone this, we can do it another time."

"No," she insisted. "No, I need to do this. We have a lot to get through, my head is a mess and I don't think I can afford to wait any longer. So, how do we do this? Where do we start? This all feels so formal now."

Toby smiled. "Just relax," he urged. "No formality here. We're just two friends talking. Just like we always do, OK?"

Paige managed a small smile. "OK, two friends," she repeated. "Talking about how one of us has spent her whole life screwing up and…"

"Not sure that's the best way to start," Toby interrupted her, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Paige. You know therapy isn't about you kicking yourself in the head. This is your chance to work through whatever's troubling you. So, where would you like to start?"

Paige sighed. "I have no idea," she admitted. "I just keep going over and over everything. I wanted to be with Walter for so long and then, just when I had everything I wanted, suddenly it wasn't enough. I didn't want to change him, but then all those silly differences started to eat away at me and I tried to do exactly that. Was it all because of what Mark Collins said to me in Norway?"

"Partly," agreed Toby. "But it also has a lot to do with the way you adapt to new situations. You always have an underlying fear that things are going to go wrong. You had no valid reason to think your relationship would end, but your psyche had already convinced you that it would. So when you found out about the lecture, those silly differences suddenly became one huge, insurmountable obstacle in your mind."

Paige thought about the stupid things she'd said to Walter that day, about parsley and music and all those things that didn't matter at all and she realised Toby was right. "And he didn't tell me about it, because I'd told him to tell lies to spare my feelings. Why did I ever tell him that, Toby? Honesty is so important to me, to any relationship. After what Drew put me through…" she trailed off as she remembered all the times Ralph's father had cheated on her. Too many times to count, she realised. Walter was so far away from being Drew, why couldn't she accept that? "Sometimes these things come out of my mouth and I can't stop them, even though my head is screaming at me to shut the hell up."

"Do you remember when you first talked to Walt about white lies?" Toby asked, picking up his notebook and pen.

"It was dumb," replied Paige. "I'd made pancakes and he didn't like them. So I told him he should have lied to me, told me they were good."

"I see," Toby pondered her reply for a moment. "And why do you think you did that?"

"Because… I guess because it hurt to hear him insult my pancakes," shrugged Paige. "Jeez, how stupid is that?"

Toby shook his head. "Not stupid at all," he replied. "What it shows is that you struggle to accept criticism. That's not always a bad thing. I've seen you stand up to plenty of people who dare to criticise you and the way you live your life. You'll defend yourself and the people you care about with every ounce of strength that you have. That's pretty admirable. You don't back down, you don't crumble, you stand up for what you believe in."

Paige nodded. "I've had to be like that," she explained. "After all the crap I've had to deal with."

"I know," agreed Toby. "But the difference is that you see all criticism as a personal attack. Most of us learn to make the distinction when we're growing up, but I think because of your mixed-up childhood you've not been able to do that."

"So I told Walter white lies were good so I didn't have to hear him say anything bad about me, because I can't take it," said Paige. Her voice was barely audible as she realised the implication.

Toby nodded. "Walter isn't emotionally developed enough to comprehend a little white lie, so he took it at face value. He didn't want to hurt you so he lied to you, because he thought that's what you wanted and then he refused to listen to our advice because it contradicted what you'd told him to do."

Paige nodded silently. She wished she could go back and change everything, but she couldn't. All she could do was learn from her mistakes.

"This is something we can work on," Toby tried to reassure her, clearly reading her thoughts again.

Just then the door opened and Happy walked in. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Paige and Toby. "Oh… oh, I forgot," she said. "I'll just go ride around the block a few times."

"No, Happy, please don't," begged Paige. She glanced at Toby. "I… I think we're done for today. I have a few things to think about."

Toby smiled encouragingly before closing his notebook and getting to his feet. "So… how did it go?" he asked Happy.

Happy looked awkwardly at Paige before nodding. "Good, I think," she said. "Neither of us yelled at each other."

"Well that's more than I managed," noted Paige dryly.

"And… is he ready to talk to the rest of us?" asked Toby, hopefully.

"Yes," she replied. "He didn't say a lot and he's still… I don't know… confused, I guess, but we agreed that we have to get Collins."

"Does he…" began Paige, but she trailed off sadly. She knew the answer. Of course Walter didn't want to see her. He'd had four weeks to make contact, but he hadn't. Although neither had she, Paige acknowledged to herself.

"Paige, I didn't feel comfortable talking about you, about your relationship," admitted Happy. "That's not why I went over there."

"I know," agreed Paige. "I'm sorry, I know how hard this is for you, for all of you guys."

"But, hey, who knows?" Happy continued, trying to sound optimistic. "He wants to build bridges starting with Sly. Maybe after that?"

Paige nodded slowly. Did she dare to hope that she could rebuild her relationship with Walter? She missed him so much. Her heart ached with the empty space left when they'd crashed and burned and she knew she couldn't go on feeling like this forever. If she could just talk to him, if they could find some common ground, a friendship just like they used to have before. "Maybe," she whispered and her heart started to beat faster the more she thought about it. "Maybe…"

 _To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8 - We Can Do This

**-** **The team finally reunite and there's a lot of apologising to do, but Paige needs a little extra help.-**

 _ **This is the chapter I've been desperate to write since I started this story. I hope you all enjoy it, thank you to everyone for all your comments and reviews and support so far!**_

 **CHAPTER 8.**

"Do you think we should have chosen a neutral location?"

"Son, it ain't gonna make one iota of difference."

Cabe stood motionless and watched Walter pace up and down the garage. He'd been doing it all morning and it was making Cabe feel a little nauseous… or maybe that was the lack of sleep? Cabe assumed Walter hadn't slept any more than he had himself.

Walter finally stopped pacing and turned to face Cabe.

"I... I just don't want... anyone to be c...confused," Walter tried to explain. "I don't want... anyone…"

"You mean Paige," Cabe interrupted him. "You can say her name, son."

"Of course I can," replied Walter with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Besides, I thought you said Toby wasn't sure if... if P...P...Paige was coming today."

"He told me she hasn't made a final decision," Cabe explained. "She might not want to… y'know… complicate things. Sounds like she's as anxious about this as you are."

"I'm not anxious," insisted Walter and he turned away. "But I do need to urinate again," he mumbled and he walked off towards the bathroom.

Cabe shook his head. "Not anxious at all," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Just then the door slowly opened. Cabe strode over with a broad grin on his face as Sylvester gingerly stepped into the garage.

"Sly!" he exclaimed.

Sylvester stopped in his tracks and his eyes met Cabe's. His breathing was already starting to shudder and he desperately tried to keep it under control. Without any further hesitation he ran towards the older man and enveloped him in a huge bear hug.

"Oh, Cabe!" he said, squeezing tightly as if he never wanted to let go.

"Missed you too, kid," replied Cabe, struggling to get his words out, but not wanting to push Sylvester away. He suddenly realised that no one had followed Sylvester through the door and his heart sank a little. "You on your own?" he asked.

"No, no, no," responded Sylvester, finally breaking his hold. "The... the... the others are outside. I wanted... I needed to go first. I... I..."

"Take it easy, Sly," urged Cabe becoming concerned at the way he was tripping over his words.

Sly nodded and closed his eyes.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

"Hello, Sylvester."

Sylvester's eyes snapped open at the sound of Walter's voice. The two men stared at each other in silence for a moment. Sylvester's first urge was to run over and hug him too, but something held him back. Fear? He want sure. Fear of what exactly? He couldn't define it. Rejection? He was used to that. He was struggling to focus, but he couldn't allow his anxiety to ruin this. He just couldn't.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

He was determined to express himself eloquently. Communication was the key to everything, they'd all come to realise that in the last four weeks.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

As his breathing slowed he began to feel a sense of clarity, as if the curtains had opened and sunlight was flooding his thoughts. Finally he could speak.

"Walter, I'm so sorry!"

Sylvester had never meant anything so much in his life before. Tears welled in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have walked away from you... from this..." he continued. He felt a sudden rush of emotion and now the words began to tumble out. "We could have talked about it. It wasn't your fault… my feelings for Florence… I shouldn't have blamed you, I shouldn't have said... or... or... or done..."

Walter held his hand up in front of him like a policeman stopping traffic. "Please, Sylvester, you don't have to…." he began.

"Yes, I do," Sylvester interrupted him. "Please, please let me finish."

Walter shrugged and nodded, he wasn't used to seeing Sylvester with such determination in his eyes.

"I... I will always love Megan," continued Sylvester. "But... I... I thought that I could... maybe... with Florence... and I was angry that you'd lied to Paige... and... and... and the things you said to me… I felt… I have never felt so… so... I felt humiliated... but I shouldn't have tried to..." he trailed off, suddenly aware that he wasn't making a lot of sense.

"Sly..." Walter jumped in. Watching his friend suffer was just too painful. It was his turn to speak now. "I wish you'd told me about your feelings for F…F…Florence. Love can make us d...do stupid things. I... I should know. I shouldn't have suggested that Megan… I shouldn't have said those things to you... I didn't mean..." He stopped talking. He wasn't making much sense either.

Suddenly Sylvester burst into giggles. "Listen to us!" He exclaimed. "We're so bad at this!"

Walter's expression lifted, his eyes filled with warmth and he took a step closer to the other man. "W...we are," he agreed, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. "Maybe we should just agree that we both m...m...made mistakes. We both said things that..."

"That we didn't mean," Sylvester finished his sentence for him.

Walter nodded emphatically. "And we should try harder from now on b…b…because you and I…"

"Are brothers," smiled Sylvester. "Nothing can change that, but families fight and if… if it makes any difference, my feelings for Florence were… confused and now I know that she doesn't feel… well, I don't think she was ever the right person for me. I've made my peace with that. There's someone out there for me, but I can wait. I… I panicked… I misunderstood… anyway, those are my issues, not yours."

Walter smiled. He recognised so much of his own confusion about relationships in Sylvester's words. All the geniuses were more alike than they cared to admit. "We're a couple of stupid geniuses," he said with a laugh.

"The stupidest," agreed Sylvester. "Can I hug you now?" he added, gingerly.

"Well… I…"

"Just do it, Sly," grinned Cabe.

Sylvester didn't need to be told twice and as a slightly startled Walter began to relax into the physical display of affection from the younger genius, Cabe went to the door and signalled to Toby.

Even Happy couldn't help but smile at the sight of their two friends. "Either you guys made up, or Sly's trying to finish what he started four weeks ago," she noted, dryly.

Sylvester immediately released Walter from his grasp at the sound of her voice.

"We made up," he grinned. "Didn't we?" he added, looking nervously at Walter.

Walter cleared his throat before answering. "Sylvester and I have discussed our… our differences and put them behind us," he replied.

"So do I get a turn with the hug lord now?" asked Toby with a wink.

Walter sneered. "I'm not sure if that's appropriate," he replied.

"Doc, quit messing around and just say what you want to say," urged Happy. Then she lowered her voice. "Before Paige changes her mind."

Toby's expression became sincere. "OK, listen up One Ninety Seven, I'm gonna make this quick because… well, because I don't often lay myself open like this, but here goes. I'm sorry I didn't call you before, this has gone on way too long and… and I'm sorry I couldn't help you and Paige figure things out."

"You… you don't have to apologise for what happened with Paige?" replied Walter with a confused expression. "You gave me advice about my relationship with Paige which I chose to… to ignore b…b…because I thought…" he trailed off and sighed deeply. "Because I thought I knew better, but… but I didn't. I… called you and Happy a childish name – for which I profoundly apologise - because I… I was wrong and… and I'm not good at admitting when I'm wrong."

Toby grinned. "OK. Who are you and what did you do with my egomaniac friend?" he asked.

Walter was silent for a moment. His cheeks flushed red before he responded. "Friend?" he repeated slowly. "I… I wasn't sure if…"

"Hey, pal, we've had worse fights than this, haven't we?" asked Toby. "Remember that time you poured that expensive bottle of bourbon down the sink? I think I actually had my hands round your neck."

"You did, until I kicked your ass," agreed Happy.

"I remember," nodded Walter, a small smile flickering at the corners of his mouth. "You were incredibly drunk."

"Yeah, well, that was the old me," agreed Toby. "Although sometimes the old me still has a habit of using my psyche as a playing field. Sometimes I still get the urge to press the self-destruct button and act like a jackass and I know that affects people around me… people I care about…" he glanced apologetically at Happy, who slipped her hand into his and squeezed it in a show of support.

"You'd think I'd be used to you by now," noted Walter dryly.

Toby smirked. "Anyway, you heard about Collins, right?" he continued, keen to change the subject from his own failings.

"Yes," nodded Walter. "It seems he isn't done with us yet."

"Nope," agreed Toby. He pressed his lips together. Reading Walter had never been as easy for him as it should be, but right now he was an open book. He wanted his family back together as much as they all did. "Listen, Walt, we need to be a team again if we have any hope of getting everyone's favourite beardy sociopath back under lock and key."

"And throwing away the key," added Cabe.

"We can stand here and apologise to each other all day for the dumb things we've said and done and it ain't gonna change what happened," said Toby, earnestly. "But we can put it behind us. We're a team, a family, right?"

Walter nodded. "Yes, yes we are," he replied. "And… and sometimes families fight." He glanced at Sylvester, silently acknowledging that he had repeated the younger man's words from their conversation.

"Sometimes they do," agreed Toby. "All of our childhoods sucked, so we're kinda making this up as we go along, but the strongest families learn to adjust, accept and move on."

Walter nodded. His heart ached for Paige, but he realised that needed his team – his family - just as much, maybe more, than he needed her. He didn't know if he could salvage any kind of relationship with Paige and maybe he didn't deserve one now, but he felt lighter now, somehow. It was a cliché that he'd never understood before, but it did feel as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"I don't know much about this kinda stuff either," said Cabe. "But I've learned the hard way how to come back from making big mistakes in my life and I figure we all have a lot of learning to do."

"Sure do," agreed Toby.

"Indeed," nodded Walter.

Just then Toby's phone buzzed. He pulled it from the pocket of his jacket and scanned down the screen. "It's Paige," he announced. "Asking if now would be a good time to come in."

"P…P…Paige?" stammered Walter. He had almost given up hope that she would be here.

"And Ralphy-Boy," Toby confirmed. "Unless it's Collins in disguise?" he quipped.

Happy slapped the back of his head and he stumbled forward. "That's not even funny, doc!" she exclaimed.

"I know, I know… I'm nervous, I'm sorry," replied Toby, sheepishly. He quickly texted a reply to Paige before putting his phone back in his pocket. He glanced at Walter. "I know Ralph is desperate to talk to you," he said. "Just remember, he's only a kid."

Walter nodded seriously. "I imagine this whole thing has b…been difficult for him."

"Like hell on earth."

Walter lifted his head at the sound of Ralph's voice. The boy had every right to be mad at him, he conceded. Walter wanted to run across the garage and scoop him up into his arms. He wanted to tell him he hadn't meant to cause him so much pain. He wanted to tell him how much he'd missed him, but he knew those things would have to wait, if indeed Ralph even wanted him back in his life. He took a few hurried steps before stopping in his tracks. There she was. Paige was here. She'd come.

He wanted to say so much. "Paige… Ralph…" It was all he could manage. Walter's mind was racing. All the words he'd spent most of the night going over and over in his head suddenly merged into a sea of jumbled letters and nothing else came out of his mouth.

Cabe stepped forward and hugged first Ralph and then Paige. "Hey, you guys," he said warmly. He glanced over towards Walter, hoping the genius might have pulled himself together enough to say something, but it was as if Walter had been frozen in time.

"Son?" Cabe prompted.

"I… I… I'm glad you're here," Walter said, finally. His voice was barely audible.

Ralph glanced up at his mother. For reasons he couldn't fully explain he felt he needed her permission to speak to Walter. He was desperate to speak to Walter, but her silence frightened him and so he said nothing.

Paige tried to speak. She tried to stay calm, she tried to breathe, but she couldn't do any of those things. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't do anything at all.

"Paige?" It was Toby's concerned voice. "OK, I think we should step outside," he continued. She felt his hand on her arm and she could offer no resistance, but she didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay here with Walter. She was overwhelmed with fear that if she left now she would never be able to come back again, but…. but perhaps that was for the best? Perhaps she should just leave and never come back. That would be easier. Easier for everyone.

Suddenly she found her voice. "I can't do this!" she screamed and before anyone could do or say anything she shook herself free of Toby's grasp and ran out of the garage.

"Oh, hell," mumbled Toby. He had been afraid something like this might happen. He looked at the others who were all stunned by what they'd just witnessed. "I'm just gonna go and, um…" he trailed off and pointed towards the door before running towards it, but he stopped in the doorway for a second. "Don't worry, Ralphy," he smiled. "Your mom's just having a bad day. Another one. She'll be OK."

Walter turned to Happy. "Should I g…go out there?" he asked. "I want to talk to her."

"No," insisted Happy. "Let Toby deal with this, O'Brien." She shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I told you Paige hasn't been doing too good," she said. "Well, there it is."

"Is she… is she ill?" asked Walter. He wanted to run to her, hold her, tell her everything was going to be OK, but he knew he would probably make things worse.

"I… I don't really know," replied Happy, hesitantly. Toby hadn't gone into too much detail and she hadn't asked, out of respect for Paige. "If it means anything, she's not always like this. She's had a couple really bad days recently, but her head's still screwed on… most of the time."

"I will understand if… if Paige never wants to see me again," Walter said.

Happy shook her head in despair. "Jeez, Walt, the reason she's cracking up is because she's desperate to be with you again," she tried to explain. "It's all the pain and guilt that's made her like this."

"I'm to blame, not her," Walter insisted.

"No, dummy," snapped Happy. "You both are and the sooner you figure it out the better."

"So… so now what?" he asked.

"Now we wait for Doctor Curtis to do his thing," Happy replied.

"Do you see what you've done to her?" said Ralph, folding his arms defiantly across his chest.

"Ralph, I… I didn't mean to hurt her, or… or you," insisted Walter. "I… I love her and… and I love you."

Tears sprung to Ralph's eyes. It was the first time he'd heard Walter say that he loved him. He'd wanted to hear it for so long, but not like this. Not now. "Then why?" he asked. "Why risk everything? This has to be the dumbest thing you've ever done. Mom always taught me never to tell lies, any idiot knows to be honest with the people they love."

"Steady there, Ralph," said Cabe, stepping forward and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "It ain't as simple as all that, there's a whole lottta blame to go around. I don't think you should get involved."

"I'm already involved!" exclaimed Ralph. "This is my life too! I know my mom handled it badly, but it didn't have to end up like this."

"Things are gonna be OK," Sylvester tried to reassure him, although he was by no means certain himself. "Why don't you and I go check on Ferret Bueller? I've missed the furry little… um… fleabag."

"He sets off your allergies," Ralph reminded him.

"Ralph, just go with Sly," Happy barked. Then her voice softened. "I know it all looks like it's gone to crap right now, but once your mom gets her ass back in here and actually talks to Walter we can start putting all of this behind us."

"Happy's right," Walter agreed. The thought that Paige was standing just a few feet away from him was agonising. He needed to fix everything right now, the anticipation was becoming unbearable. "We... we have a mission, to recapture Mark Collins," he said, trying to focus on anything but Paige. "And we need your help."

Ralph stared at Walter. "I need to know you can be trusted," he said stoically.

"I can," replied Walter. "I promise. And I'm so sorry."

Outside, Toby found Paige with her hands on the front of the car, her head bowed, her breathing shallow and rapid.

"Well, that didn't exactly go to plan did it," he said, placing a soothing hand between her shoulder blades. He'd talked with Paige for hours the previous day, going over what she wanted to say and trying to teach her how to cope with the overwhelming feelings he knew she would experience. He'd hoped she would have at least remembered to use some of the techniques he'd taught her, but apparently not.

Paige tensed at his touch, then she lifted her head slightly. "I've blown my one chance to make things right," she whispered.

"No, no you haven't," insisted Toby. "Tell me what happened in there."

Paige sighed deeply. "It felt as though… as though I was shrink wrapped in plastic and it was getting tighter and tighter and I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think," she explained.

Toby understood. "OK, don't worry, we can fix that," he said, reassuringly.

"I still love him," said Paige, pushing herself upright and turning to face Toby. "I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I saw him, but now I know."

"He loves you too."

"Are… are you sure?" asked Paige, her voice lifting as she tried to process his words. "I thought after all those horrible things I said…"

"Paige, he must've shown me at least a hundred markers in the sixty seconds you were in there," Toby explained. "Dilated pupils, hand over his heart, all the classics. It was like behaviourist training one-oh-one. Now, let's take two minutes to go over a few of those coping techniques and then you're gonna go back in there and you guys are gonna talk. Like, actually communicate for once in your lives. You can do this."

"I can do this," Paige repeated. "We can do this."

 _To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9 - Up On The Roof

**Walter and Paige finally talk. Meanwhile Toby tries to put Ralph's mind at rest and there's an unexpected visitor.**

 _ **Again I must express my thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. There are a few post-finale 'fix-it' fics out there now and we all have our own ideas about what happens, so thank you so much for sticking with this one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**_

 **CHAPTER 9.**

"He's out on the roof, he's waiting for you, kid."

"Thank you, Cabe." Paige could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked back into the garage. She held her head high and smiled before striding purposefully outside to join Walter.

"Toby, is... is Paige OK?" asked Sylvester, gingerly. "It was clear that she wasn't OK in any normal sense of the word, but he felt the need to ask. Sylvester could feel that his own anxiety had eased significantly since he'd spoken to Walter and it was the sense of relief he'd been craving for the last four weeks, but it didn't seem like it was going to be as easy for Paige to achieve any kind of inner peace.

"Paige is a tough cookie," replied Toby. Then he turned to Ralph. "Hey, Ralphy, why don't we go raid the fridge? My guess is Walt's filled it with junk since your mom's not been here to do the shopping."

"I've been doing the shopping," Cabe interjected. "No junk, just the kind of good old fashioned food I used to eat when I was a boy."

Ralph looked at Toby with a grin. "I think I'd rather eat junk food," he said. Cabe rolled his eyes, but he didn't really mind the jibe, it was so good to see Ralph and the others back here where they belonged.

"Anyone else hungry?" asked Toby, but Sylvester, Happy and Cabe all shook their heads so he and Ralph left them to chat and they headed towards the kitchen.

They found enough in the fridge to make reasonably appetising sandwiches. There was even a single tomato which Ralph cut in half. Toby watched the young genius as he opened a packet of luncheon meat and shared it between their plates. He could see Ralph's mind was spinning and he knew he needed to get him to open up, but Ralph was smart enough to know that Toby would try and he deliberately closed himself off even more.

"So, any thoughts on Collins?" asked Toby as they sat down at the table to eat their sandwiches. He could tell seeing Walter again had put a lot of Ralph's fears to rest, which was encouraging, but Paige's reaction had frightened him. "I guess we should analyse the data from CLAM first," added Toby, pushing him to talk.

Ralph shrugged. "I guess," he agreed. He took another bite and chewed it slowly. "Toby, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Anything, pal," Toby answered. Whereas he, Happy and Sylvester and even Cabe were visibly less anxious about the future already, Ralph's worrying seemed to have got worse since they had arrived at the garage. Toby wasn't quite sure where this was heading. He certainly didn't expect to hear the next words to come out of the boy's mouth.

"Should my mom be on meds?" Ralph tilted his head to the side slightly as he spoke.

Toby was a little taken aback by the direct question and it took him a moment before he could reply. "Ralph, I know you want what's best for your mom, but trust me, she's doing OK all things considered."

"It's just that I've been doing some research," Ralph continued, unabated, "and it seems like a mood stabiliser could help and maybe…"

"Hey, I know you have twenty plus IQ points on me, pal," Toby interrupted him. "But I'm the one who went to medical school - Harvard, I know I barely mention it, but this is kinda my thing. I promise you if I thought she was at that stage I'd be writing the script right now. You've got to trust me on this."

Ralph looked unconvinced. "I… I do trust you," he said.

"Really?" Toby raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Listen to me, she's fighting her way out of this and I've got her back. We all have."

Ralph nodded slowly. "I think I have trust issues," he said sadly.

"OK," replied Toby slowly. "Where did this come from?"

Ralph shrugged. "I do trust you to take care of my mom. I do, but…"

"But you have doubts," Toby pointed out gently. "You've had a rough ride these past few weeks, it's normal to feel a little mixed up."

Ralph nodded slowly and tried to keep his emotions in check. "Just now, I made Walter promise that we could trust him," Ralph explained. "This whole mess… I'm so confused… it's my mom's fault for totally overreacting, but it's Walter's fault for lying to her too. And… and it's my mom's fault for telling him lying is OK, but it's Walter's fault for taking Florence to that lecture. And it's Sly's fault for hesitating over Florence and quitting Scorpion, but it's Walter's fault for driving him away. I thought I'd feel better after seeing Walter today, after talking to him, but I just accused him of being untrustworthy. I've probably made it all worse."

"You think it could get any worse?" asked Toby, with a knowing expression. "Look, we're all messed up a little right now. A little more than we usually are," he added with a tiny grin. "You needed to hear Walter make that promise. It's OK."

"I guess I did," admitted Ralph. He pushed the remains of his sandwich around his plate. "I guess I ran away because I thought it was my fault, but it was my mom's fault for making me feel that way. I didn't understand how bad things were in her head, I still don't. I can't help but blame Walter for his part in this."

"I know, but hey, your mom's up there talking to him right now," Toby pointed out. "A couple weeks ago I wasn't sure we'd ever get this far."

Toby pressed his lips together. He knew he could have… should have… said more to Walter today, but he hadn't wanted to overload him with any more emotional outpourings than were necessary. He hoped that over the next few weeks, as they rebuilt their relationship, he would get a chance to try to explain as much as he could to his old friend. He also hoped Walter would open up to him about his own feelings too, but Toby knew that might not be so easy. They were on the right path now, though. That was the most important thing. Team Scorpion were together - whatever might happen between Walter and Paige - and they were going to track down Mark Collins.

Toby smiled supportively at Ralph and nodded towards the remains of his sandwich. "Eat up, Ralphy-Boy," he said with a wink. "You need your vitamins."

Ralph was about to take a bite when the door flew open. He dropped his sandwich when he saw who had arrived.

"Walter, I know you said not to disturb you today, but I think I've balanced this formula… oh!"

Florence froze in her tracks as everyone turned to stare at her.

"Oh," she repeated. She clutched the tall glass beaker she was carrying to her chest and a little of the blue liquid splashed over the side. She blinked deeply, manically hoping that she was having some kind of vision. "You… you're here. You're all here!" she exclaimed once she realised her imagination wasn't playing tricks on her after all.

"Hey, Flo," grinned Toby as he and Ralph walked back to join the others.

"It's Florence," she retorted. "It's still Florence."

"Good to know," noted Happy, rolling her eyes.

"You people have some nerve coming back here," hissed Florence. She put the beaker down on the nearest desk and folded her arms across her chest. "I mean, I assume you're either here to collect your belongings – which I sincerely hope is the case because I'm sick of looking at your crap - or you're attempting to reconnect with Walter which, considering the hideous way in which you abandoned him, is likely to be a fruitless endeavour."

Sylvester was stunned by the level of vitriol in her voice. When they'd first met Florence she had been defensive and aloof and had not made a good first impression on any of the team. After a while, however, she had started to let her barriers down and her softer, more vulnerable side had come to the fore. It was that side that had led to Sylvester developing feelings for her. Although those feelings had dwindled significantly in the last four weeks, it was still a shock to him to see her behave this way again.

"Actually, we're all buddies again now," smirked Toby. It was a huge exaggeration, he knew that, but he was deliberately pushing Florence's buttons.

The chemist's eyes widened in surprise. "I see," she replied. Then she looked over her shoulder and her earlier defiance drifted away, to be replaced by a far more subdued manner. "Where's Paige?" she asked, trying – and failing - to sound nonchalant.

"She's talking to Walt," replied Happy with a smug expression.

Florence let out a sigh. "I would like to talk to her," she said, quietly.

Sylvester stepped forward. "I'm not sure Paige would be interested in anything you have to say," he said. His words sounded harsher than he'd intended and he felt a sudden rush of anxiety.

Toby noticed immediately and moved closer to the younger genius. "Easy, pal," he said, almost under his breath and Sylvester nodded - he didn't want Florence to see him falling apart. He didn't want her to think it was because of her, because it really wasn't. Well, maybe just a little, he conceded.

"I'll tell my mom you were asking after her," said Ralph, looking suddenly older than his thirteen years.

"Ralph, I…" Florence began, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

Ralph's expression conveyed a thousand words and Florence was suddenly overcome with guilt. If only she hadn't opened her big mouth that day… if only she hadn't gone to that lecture with Walter… and enjoyed his company… if only…

"I'm sorry," she said, addressing the group now, not just Ralph. She picked up the glass beaker she'd arrived with and turned to Cabe. "Please tell Walter I have perfected the compound he needs," she said and, as Cabe nodded a silent affirmation, she turned on her heels and walked towards the door.

"Florence… wait…" Sylvester called after her, his heart pounding, but he felt a strange sense of relief when she didn't turn around. The door closed behind her and he stumbled back a step, finally letting out the breath he'd been holding.

"Sly?" said Cabe with concern. Happy had hinted earlier that Sylvester had been dealing with his own demons, but Cabe hadn't yet witnessed the extent of his suffering.

"Come on, Sly, breathe," urged Toby, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"It… it was all a mistake," gasped Sylvester, fiercely fighting to keep control.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"She was a… a friend, that's all. I… I wanted to feel love again, but… but…"

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Hey, don't let _her_ ruin today," Happy implored. "She was never a member of Scorpion. She's not part of our family."

"That's kinda harsh," frowned Cabe, glancing at Sylvester who had managed to calm down a little now. "Flo was invaluable on plenty of cases before y'know what happened… and she's been more than pulling her weight around here since."

"I want to talk to her," said Sylvester. "She looked… sad. I don't want her to blame herself. I need to apologise to her… one day, but not today."

Cabe impulsively threw his arm around Sylvester's shoulders in a protective gesture. "Don't worry about her, kid," he said. "She'll understand." It felt good to have everyone back home again. _His_ family. He just hoped that Walter and Paige could find their way back to each other somehow.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"The south easterly wind direction is… is… p…providing a pleasant breeze up here today."

Walter could have kicked himself as he heard Paige's slow footsteps behind him. The wind direction? Was that really the first thing he wanted to say to her after all of this? He couldn't turn around, he couldn't face her, not yet. Her reaction to seeing him in the garage had been shocking and he had no idea what to say to her now. Everything he'd planned to say suddenly seemed completely irrelevant.

"Walter."

He closed his eyes. Just hearing her say his name almost broke him. How had he allowed things to go this badly wrong? He felt her hand on his shoulder and he let out a shuddery breath. Her touch, her scent, everything sent him into a spin.

Paige removed her hand almost as quickly as she had placed it there. "I'm… I'm sorry about just now," she continued, her voice was barely audible. "I've been having a few… a few episodes like that lately."

Walter finally found the courage to turn around. "You… you have no need t…to apologise," he insisted. "I imagine these last f…few weeks have not been easy f…for you."

Paige swallowed hard. She wanted to scream at him – why would he say that? Of course she needed to apologise! She had to apologise for everything, but she didn't really know where to start.

"I'm sorry it's come to this," she began. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting today." _Meeting?_ It sounded so formal. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, employing one of the many coping strategies Toby had taught her. "Thank you for agreeing to talk," she corrected herself, a little calmer now.

"Happy made me realise a… a… few things when she came to see me," replied Walter. "B…b…but I'm not sure I will be able to articulate my thoughts… my feelings… particularly well at this juncture."

Paige smiled and she reached out her hand, resting it momentarily on his forearm. "Neither of us are very good at that," she noted. "If we could only have communicated better before, then maybe…" she trailed off. Maybe he wouldn't have taken another woman out for the evening and then lied about it…? No, that wasn't fair. There was so much blame to share.

"M…maybe you could have told me sooner about… about all those things… all those things you hated so much," Walter stopped to take a breath. "I would have tried, Paige. I… I… I would have tried harder to ch...change. For you."

"Oh, Walter," replied Paige and tears filled her eyes. "I didn't want you to change… I don't ever want you to change. I don't know why I said those hurtful things to you that day. I don't know why I tried to push you to places you weren't ready for." The tears spilled over and began to run down her cheeks.

Walter instinctively reached out his arms, but then he hesitated. He couldn't just stand there and watch her break down, but did she want his comfort? It wasn't his place any more to hold her… was it? He couldn't be sure, but he had to take the risk. If she pushed him away they wouldn't be in any worse a place than they already were after all.

Walter stepped forward and tenderly pulled her close. Paige's head naturally came to rest on his chest and he gently wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and he desperately wanted to soothe her with a kiss, but he knew it was too soon for that. He didn't know if he could ever cope with the feeling of his lips on hers again anyway. Certainly not now, not yet.

There was no doubt that Paige's words that day had hurt Walter more than he ever thought imaginable. He didn't fully understand the way he felt right now, but he knew it would take more than a few apologies and a tearful hug to put everything behind them. He desperately wanted to be with Paige, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he could survive being with her. "Ssshh…" he soothed. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "I… I… should have understood, but… but I didn't. I didn't mean t…to hurt you."

"I know," replied Paige between her sobs. "I know you didn't. And… and I didn't mean to hurt you either. We waited three years to be together… and then we... we just messed it all up." She pulled away from his arms and looked up at him with so much sadness and regret in her eyes that in that moment Walter could read her thoughts as well as any world class behaviourist. "I'm so sorry, Walter," she said. "I have some… some problems and I'm working on solving them. My whole life I've been scared… scared of finding someone… and then losing them… and… and…"

"Paige, p…please, you don't have to tell me this," Walter interrupted her.

"I do," insisted Paige. She drew a shuddery breath and tried to focus her mind. She could feel the familiar fog threatening to cloud her thoughts and the fear was starting to return. She couldn't risk that, not now. Not now his hand was still on her arm, not now her arm was still resting on his hip. If they could just stay like this forever it would be enough, she thought.

Walter shook his head. "Cabe has… has tried to counsel me in… in how to communicate more efficiently." No, not _efficiently_ , that wasn't the word he wanted. "More openly," he corrected himself. He took a deep breath, he was about to take a huge risk and he had to be prepared for it to come back and hit him in the face, but he had to try. "Would you c…consider having dinner? With me… dinner with me. This evening? So we can talk."

Paige stepped back, breaking all physical contact with him. She hasn't expected this. Deep down she had wanted it, of course, longed for it even, but she hadn't expected it.

"I… um… I…" She floundered, trying desperately not to make Walter think she didn't want to see him when she did. _Desperately._ "I… I… yes," she said.

Then her mind was filled with sudden, terrifying thoughts of being with him. What would people say about her? What would they think? She fought hard to keep her mind clear, but it was no use. The thoughts were all consuming. Irrational thoughts, she realised, but she couldn't stop them. She couldn't be seen with him, she couldn't! Everyone would _know…_

"Paige?"

Her manner had clearly been so intense that even Walter had been perturbed.

Paige looked up at him with wide eyes. "My place," she snapped. "Seven thirty. I'll cook, but if it's the worst meal you've ever tasted you have to tell me. Just don't expect me to handle the criticism well." And without another word she ran across the rooftop and back inside leaving a stunned Walter standing motionless in the breeze.

 _To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10 - I Don't Want This

**Walter and Paige have dinner, but there's more talking than eating. Little do they know that danger is just around the corner.**

 ** _Thank you to everyone for your reviews so far, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

 **CHAPTER 10.**

"Yes, yes, I know, Cabe… I won't…. I doubt that will happen…"

Walter held his phone to his ear as he walked along the corridor towards Paige's condo. His spontaneous suggestion that he and Paige should have dinner this evening had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he was beginning to have second thoughts.

"Cabe, I don't have any expectations…" continued Walter. "We're just going to talk, that's all… No, I'm not an idiot, Cabe… I think Paige made her feelings quite clear… Yes, I do understand that, but…"

Walter sighed as Cabe continued his lecture. He realised Cabe was just worried and he really appreciated his concern, but right now the only person Walter wanted to talk to was Paige.

"I have to go, I'm here now." Walter ended the call before Cabe could add another unhelpful comment about 'taking it easy' and 'keeping your cool'. "It's not like anything I say could make this any worse," he mumbled to himself as he pocketed his phone and took the last few steps to Paige's door.

Walter had brought a bunch of flowers with him for Paige. It was a small bunch, no roses or anything that had screamed 'romance' to him as he'd selected them – but then Walter O'Brien and 'romance' were not the greatest of bedfellows, he acknowledged to himself, so maybe Paige would misinterpret the gesture? He suddenly wondered what had possessed him to buy them in the first place, so he ran two doors along the hallway and left them outside another apartment. He just hoped the occupant would appreciate the gift.

He ran back towards Paige's door and was about to knock, but he hesitated. He could hear voices. More specifically he could hear Paige's voice. She must be on the phone, he realised. He stepped closer to the door and glanced over his shoulder. Satisfied that no one else was around he pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Cabe's voice in his head – did this count as doing something he would regret? Possibly, he conceded, although it would depend on what he was about to overhear.

" _I can't explain it, Toby."_

At least Walter now knew who she was talking to.

" _I guess you could call it paranoia – is that bad?"_

Was this to do with her strange behaviour up on the roof earlier?

" _That's easy for you to say… OK, OK, I'll try."_

Try what? Why does she need to try? This used to be so easy.

" _Of course we will, but don't forget our meeting with Richard Elia in the morning. Couch time will have to wait."_

Walter found himself holding his breath as Paige laughed, presumably at something Toby had said. He'd missed her laugh more than anything.

" _He'll be here any minute. Thanks for the pep talk, Doc."_

Was the thought of having dinner with him so terrifying that she needed a pep talk from a shrink to get her through it? Walter sighed. No, that was unfair, he conceded. It had been a pep talk from a friend, no different to the conversation he'd just had with Cabe.

Walter took a deep breath. "It's now or never," he muttered and he knocked on the door with determination.

The door flew open. "Walter!" exclaimed Paige, as if she was surprised to see him. It put Walter a little more on edge than he had already been.

"Paige, I, er, I…"

Paige smiled. "Come in," she said and she stood aside as he walked inside. "Dinner is almost ready."

"Um… um… perhaps we should talk first?" suggested Walter. He followed her towards the kitchen and watched as she stirred the saucepan. "I hear that you – that is, Centipede Partners – won the Elia contract," he said casually.

Losing that one to Paige had stung more than the Gettleman contract. Despite the fact they weren't as close as they used to be, Walter had hoped Richard Elia would have stayed loyal to him. Then again, Paige had briefly been an employee of Elia's company so maybe his loyalty lay with her now?

"Yes," confirmed Paige. "He was impressed with our pitch." She moved a book from the couch and sat down. "It's Ralph's," she explained as she put the heavy textbook on the floor. "He's been reading a lot of real books lately instead of staring at his tablet screen all the time."

Walter sat beside her, but kept a reasonable distance between them. He wished he could forget everything that had happened and take her in his arms, feel close to her again, but of course it wasn't that simple. Just being here reminded him of just how much she had hurt him. It also reminded him of how much his own actions had hurt her.

"It was good to see Ralph today," said Walter. Toby would probably say he was deflecting – deliberately avoiding talking about what he should be talking about – but Walter didn't feel ready to lay his feelings about Paige out in the open, not yet.

"He's missed you," replied Paige, with more sadness in her eyes than Walter had expected. "This has all been so hard on him. And my behaviour hasn't exactly helped. He… he ran away the other day."

Walter wasn't at all surprised. When he was even younger than Ralph, Walter would regularly run away from home. Growing up in rural Ireland knowing that there was a big wide world out there to discover frequently drove him crazy, but unfortunately, despite his genius mind, he rarely got further than the next town before someone would recognise him and take him home. "I imagine he is… confused a…a…about our current situation," offered Walter.

Paige nodded sadly. "Is that how you feel?" she asked, nervously.

Walter shrugged. "I… I suppose that's part of it," he replied.

Walter had been coping with a vast array of emotions in the last four weeks and he didn't know how to process any of them. He had tried to make some kind of logical sense of them, put them in order so he could work through them one at a time, but it hadn't worked. Instead his thoughts had become such a jumble that his judgement had become clouded and he had come to realise that the only way he could get through each day was to deliberately supress his feelings. It had been totally exhausting.

"I know Mark Collins had something to do with this," continued Paige. "But his mind games would have had no effect if the danger signs hadn't been there in the first place."

"Danger signs? I… I thought things between us were good. I didn't expect any of this."

"Didn't you? I think that somewhere in the back of your mind you had some very deep concerns about us. Otherwise why would you feel it necessary to keep a secret from me? I think you knew that our relationship would suffer."

Walter thought about her words for a moment. Maybe she was right? "It seemed a trivial matter."

"Trivial?"

"Well, yes," agreed Walter. Then he realised Paige's expression was one of horror. "I'm not sure if I'm m…m…making myself very clear…"

"Sneaking around behind my back with another woman is not trivial!"

"Paige, you know it… it wasn't like that," insisted Walter. "It meant nothing."

"But you made it look as if it did," replied Paige.

"The innocent pebble in the box," nodded Walter. "Just something Toby said," he added when Paige looked confused.

Walter had really hoped not to be going round in circles with all of this again this evening. He had hoped they would be able to put it behind them and come to some decisions about their future, but it seemed Paige was still seeking an explanation for what happened and Walter didn't know if he would ever be able to give her the answers she craved.

"Paige, I know I made a mistake, but… but I had no idea you felt that way about us. I suppose I knew you would be upset with me, that's why I kept it from you, but… but those things you said about me… I... I had no idea."

"That was the problem, Walter," replied Paige, her voice wavering for the first time that evening. "You should have known."

"How? How am I expected to know how you feel?"

"You just are!" Paige exclaimed and leapt to her feet. "I need to check on the dinner."

Walter sighed. It was easy to wish he could go back in time and tell Paige about the lecture, or better still, not go at all – especially not with Florence - but the more he thought about it the more he realised that his actions had been the catalyst for Paige to face up to her feelings and now those feelings were out in the open it was impossible to ignore them.

"I'm not m…m…making excuses," began Walter after a moment of reflection. "But… but you are aware of my EQ issues. Understanding other people's feelings is the… the one thing I struggle with the most. I… I wish it had been different with you – I thought it was different with you - but apparently it wasn't. I thought you understood me better than that."

Paige dropped the wooden spoon into the pan and hung her head. "I thought I did too," she said, her voice barely audible. She slowly turned around to face him. "You're right. I expected too much."

"I'm sorry I let you down."

"Oh, god, Walter!" Paige exclaimed and almost ran back to the couch to join him. "You didn't. Yes, you did a stupid thing. Then you made it worse by not telling me about it, but… but… I don't know if this is going to make any sense to you, but I've been let down before. Badly. And this is nothing in comparison, but in my mind it was. Or at least it could have been. So because I never expected you to cheat on me…"

"I didn't cheat."

"I know," agreed Paige. "But you could have and I guess it came as a huge shock and… and all those things I said were just my way of protecting myself. I couldn't really express my deepest fears, not in that moment, not while I was so mad at you. I wish I'd dealt with the situation differently, I overreacted, I'm sorry."

"Those things you said came from somewhere, though," Walter pointed out.

"They were petty and I couldn't stop myself," replied Paige. "You see my life, everything I've been through, it seems to have affected me more than I realised. I know I'm stupidly needy sometimes, but I can't help it. Some days I feel as if the whole world is against me, I know that sounds ridiculous."

"I was never against you, Paige."

Paige felt a sudden surge of emotion. She had been determined not to cry in front of Walter again, but she couldn't help it. "I'm not proud of any of this, Walter," she said as the tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I didn't want this. I didn't want this!"

"I know, Paige. Neither did I."

"I _don't_ want this!" Paige leapt to her feet and scrunched her hands into tight fists.

Walter stood too and reached out to her with one hand as she became overwhelmed by emotion. He was a little shocked by the sudden outburst and he wanted to comfort her again, just as he had done earlier that day, but he held back, doing nothing more than placing his hand gently on her forearm.

"Paige… are you… are you alright?" he asked. Stupid question, he thought to himself, but he had nothing else to offer her.

"Make it stop!" she cried and she stamped first one foot then the other. "You're a goddam genius! Please, just make it stop!"

"I… I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean."

Paige ran her hands through her hair. "This!" she screamed. "Look at me, Walter!"

"You're beautiful," he responded instinctively, before he'd had time to think.

Paige's eye's widened at his words. "Please, Walter… don't," she breathed.

Part of him longed to hold her again, but he was scared. "W…where do we go from here?" he asked. He had no idea what to do or say now. Paige suddenly seemed so vulnerable and it wasn't a side of her he was used to seeing.

"I honestly don't know," replied Paige. "Some days it feels completely overwhelming, but I'm trying to work through my problems with Toby's help. I don't know what I would have done without him these last few weeks. My whole team have been so understanding…" but she trailed off and the colour drained from her face. "Oh, Walter, I didn't mean… I didn't… they're your team."

"Not anymore," noted Walter.

"But today…"

"Today we agreed to work together to find Mark Collins," replied Walter. "What happens after that remains to be seen. I don't know if we can ever truly be a team again, not like before."

Walter accepted that a lot of the problems with the team had been his fault. Ever since their lives had become more dangerous Walter had been more concerned – outwardly at least - with proving that he could save the world than with the people who mattered most to him. He knew he hadn't always given his friends the respect they'd deserved. He wished he'd rewarded their loyalty more openly then maybe they wouldn't have left, no matter how badly he'd screwed up.

"It's what they want, Walter. It's what they've always wanted."

Walter shrugged. Of course it was what he wanted too, but he hadn't dared to hope. There was still a long way to go, but at least now there was the prospect of finding a way forward. He wished he'd been a better friend to all of them in recent years. His own behaviour made no sense to him and he knew he had to change. "It's what I want too, of course," he admitted.

Paige smiled warmly. "And you and me? I'll understand if you prefer to keep a distance between us."

"Paige, you're part of the team," replied Walter. "We cannot truly reunite without you."

"I wasn't really talking about the team."

"I… I know." Walter took a deep breath. He could kiss her right now and it would feel effortless, but it was too soon. It might never be the right time for such intimacy again and he had to prepare himself for that prospect. Walter had no idea how to process what he was feeling, but Cabe's message about not expecting too much rang in his ears. "But I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question."

Paige nodded. "Then I guess we just have to see what happens," she responded. "But we have to be honest with each other. Honest about our feelings, about what we're thinking. Without honesty we have nothing. We need to learn to communicate with each other. I actually think we used to be better at it when we were just friends."

A smile twitched at the corner of Walter's mouth. "I think you are probably correct," he acknowledged.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"We didn't stay up all night, Mom!"

"I can vouch for that, Paige." Sylvester handed Ralph's overnight bag to Paige and tried not to look too guilty. "There was definitely some sleep involved."

"Hmmm." Paige narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Well I suppose some is better than none. Ralph, please take your bag to your room."

As soon as the young genius was out of earshot, a grinning Sylvester asked the question he'd been dying to ask since he'd arrived at Paige's condo. "So, how did it go with Walt?"

"Honestly, Sylvester, I don't know," replied Paige. "We both said a few things we should have said a long time ago and I do feel better. We agreed that we can work together to find Collins and then after that we'll just take one day at a time, I guess. I just wish I could stop my head spinning whenever I try to deal with it all."

"I've lived with anxiety and my OCD for as long as I can remember," Sylvester answered with a sympathetic smile. "The best advice I can give you is don't be afraid of it."

Paige nodded slowly. She hadn't equated her recent behaviour with Sylvester's anxiety, but she realised he had a very good point. "I'll try," she replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry that I made everything worse for you that day," added Sylvester.

"What do you mean?" replied Paige with a puzzled frown. "You were shocked and you reacted impulsively, just like I did."

"You quit Walter, but I quit Scorpion," he answered sadly. "Maybe you guys could have worked something out if the team had stayed together?"

"Hey, listen, Sly," replied Paige, emphatically. "If there's one thing I've learnt from all this it's that asking yourself those kinds of questions is destructive. We can't change what happened, we just have to deal with the aftermath the best way we can."

Sylvester nodded sadly. "I guess," he replied. "Actually, that's what I'll be doing this morning. I'm going to see Florence. I want to talk to her, clear the air. I need to explain why I behaved the way I did. I want her to understand about Megan and how it made me feel when Walter said those things to me."

Paige let out a slow breath. "That's a lot to cover," she noted. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"As I'll ever be," replied Sylvester with a shrug. "And she wants to see me. Cabe has already spoken to her this morning. She's waiting for me."

"Then you'd better go!"

Sylvester turned to leave, but just then both his and Paige's phones simultaneously alerted them to incoming texts. Sylvester pulled his phone from his pocket as Paige went to fetch hers. He looked at the screen and suddenly his chest felt tight. "No… no…" he panted. His phone fell from his hand and clattered to the floor.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

Paige had frozen to the spot, clutching her phone tightly in her hand. "It's… it's him, isn't it. It has to be…" she whispered. "Collins!"

Sylvester fumbled on the floor and picked up his phone. He showed his screen to Paige, assuming – correctly – that they had received the same message - ' _I HAVE YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS'._

"Mom, I've got this weird text."

Paige spun round at her son's voice as he emerged from his room. She looked back at Sylvester and for a moment neither of them knew what to say or do.

"Mom!" prompted Ralph. "I think it's from Mark Collins.

"We've… we've got it too," Sylvester quickly explained. "What does he mean? Why… why is he doing this?"

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"He must have kidnapped someone again like he did to Toby," stated Ralph, flatly.

"Ralph!" exclaimed Paige. Of course she had already figured that much out, as had Sylvester, but hearing her son say it so bluntly brought a new crushing wave of fear. "I… I'll call Walter," she added, but before she could select his number from her contacts her phone rang. "Walter? Yes… yes I did and he sent it to Sly and Ralph. Are Happy and Toby with you…? And Cabe too…? Oh thank god… Wait, what about Florence? She was supposed to be meeting Sly. What? Are you sure? Oh no..."

 _To be continued..._


	11. Chapter 11 - No Choice

_**Thank you to everyone following this story, I really appreciate all your comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

 **CHAPTER 11.**

"Have you found her?" Sylvester called out of the car window as Paige pulled into the garage.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Not yet, pal," replied Toby, sadly.

Sylvester, Paige and Ralph leapt out of the car and ran over to where Walter, Cabe, Happy and Toby had gathered around the monitor tree.

"Who else?" asked Paige as she and Ralph joined the group. "Mark's message said 'friends'. Plural. Who else has he taken? Oh, God, why is he doing this?"

"Allie's safe," confirmed Cabe. "She's on her way to Homeland now in an armoured car with someone I trust."

"I posted a message in the Warlock's Chest WhatsApp group," explained Sylvester. "Already got replies from all the guys… and one from Dyfrost's mom. He's grounded again. At least he's safe."

"The guy's fifty years old!" exclaimed Toby, rolling his eyes.

"Cecil is on a month long vacation in Europe," added Happy. "He just sent me a photo." She held up her phone so the others could see Dr Rizzuto's smiling face in front of the Eiffel Tower.

"I texted Patty," began Ralph. "But… she hasn't replied yet."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Eventually, Walter spoke up. "M…m…maybe she didn't hear her phone?" he offered, but everyone was already fearing the worst.

Toby walked over to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. "Anyone else? Cabe?" he asked. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what Collins' plan was, what his next move might be, but Collins was more unpredictable now than ever and even Toby was struggling to get anything from the little information they had.

"Thanks, Doc, I think I need one," answered Cabe, but the others all shook their heads.

Ralph sat on the couch and Paige sat beside him. She wanted to say something supportive, but right now she had nothing to offer. "I'll try calling Patty," said Ralph in a quiet voice.

"Walter, have you contacted Ray?" asked Paige.

Walter shook his head and began pacing around the floor. "I wouldn't know how to," he replied. "You know Ray, he's… well, he's Ray."

Suddenly Ralph threw his phone to the floor.

"Hey, buddy, stay cool," urged Toby, crossing to the couch to address Ralph.

"Patty didn't answer," snapped Ralph. "Mark Collins has her too."

"We're making assumptions here," said Walter, standing still for a moment. "We have no proof that Collins has Florence, or Patty. For all we know he is playing some kind of sick game with us."

"Well I don't wanna play," retorted Happy, clenching her fists.

Suddenly, every screen on the monitor tree flickered into life and the grinning face of Mark Collins appeared, multiplied seven times. Paige gasped and pulled Ralph protectively towards her. Everyone else froze to the spot, unable to take their eyes from the screens. Collins' beard was less unruly than the last time they'd seen him and it looked like he'd lost a little weight, but other than that he was exactly the same. His glassy-eyed expression terrified them all.

A computerised voice filled the air. "This is a recorded message." The message repeated three times and by the third time everyone in the garage was holding their breath.

Walter felt completely helpless. Collins had become a monster and he couldn't help blaming himself. For a moment he wondered what might have been different had he not decided to have Collins committed all those years ago. Maybe if Collins didn't hate him so much he wouldn't have sabotaged his relationship with Paige? No… no, he really couldn't blame Mark for everything, as much as he wanted to.

"Hello, Team Scorpion!" announced Collins as soon as the automatic message had finished. Then his smile was replaced by a look of apparent uncertainty. "Too soon?" he asked. "Maybe you're still two teams, a broken team, a team torn apart by lies."

"Collins," hissed Walter through gritted teeth. Every logical part of his brain was telling him that reacting to a recorded message was pointless, but he couldn't help himself.

"Don't let him get to you," warned Toby. "That's exactly what he wants."

"By now I'm sure you've realised that my earlier message was serious," continued Collins. "Your friends and I are going to spend a little time getting to know each other. I suppose you want me to tell you where they are so you can heroically come to their rescue, but that's no fun is it! Instead, we're going to play a little game and this game is just for us, for old times' sake, so no cops. No authorities, or your friends will suffer and I'm sure you don't want that. So, I'm going to send you each one clue over the next hour. In sixty minutes I'll expect you to have solved my little puzzle. Unless you spend the next sixty minutes fighting, picking faults in each other, stabbing each other in the back and the like. You do it so well, after all."

"Turn it off!" yelled Walter. Happy turned and pulled the plug from the wall and immediately the screens went blank.

"How does he know so much?" asked Paige, twisting her hands together tightly. "He's been watching us the whole time!"

"Probably hacked our phones," replied Happy. "Monitored our emails, CCTV, bank transactions, anything to spy on us."

"He could probably tell you how many times Cabe used the bathroom," added Toby.

Sylvester shuddered. "How... how long do you think he's been planning this?" he asked.

"Truth is, he's taken advantage of our recent... situation," Toby answered. "As much as he's tried to manipulate Walt and Paige, I doubt he ever expected us to do this. No one expected this."

"By 'this' you mean the destruction of the team," noted Walter.

"Temporary separation," Happy corrected him, but Walter just shrugged dismissively.

"What's that for?" asked Paige defensively. "You don't think it's temporary? I thought after yesterday we all agreed..."

"We all agreed to work together to... to...to find Collins," retorted Walter, interrupting her.

Paige's face fell. "Walter... Last night..."

"I... I just want to find Collins," said Walter. "T..t..to find Florence and Patty."

"Of course you do," snapped Paige.

Toby leapt up and stood between them. "Hey, folks, now is really not the time," he said. "We're all worried about them, we all want them safe."

Paige's nostrils flared as she tried desperately to control her emotions. Just hearing Walter say Florence's name in that context had triggered something inside her and she couldn't explain it. Was this jealousy? Was this her insecurity rearing its ugly head again?

Just then Walter's text alert sounded. He picked up his phone. "It's from Collins," he stated. "Y."

"Why? Because he's an asshole," replied Cabe.

Walter looked at him with a confused frown. "No, the letter Y. That's the entire message."

"Well, what the hell kinda clue is that?" growled Cabe.

"Y is the medieval Roman numeral for one hundred fifty," noted Sylvester. "Do... do you think that's significant?"

"One hundred fifty what, though?" asked Happy.

"Y represents the Greek letter Upsilon," said Ralph. "In particle physics it represents the Upsilon Particle. Maybe it's the first part of an equation?"

"Collins said we would each get a clue over the next hour," Paige reminded them. "Even you geniuses aren't going to figure it out from one letter."

"Paige is correct," said Walter with a nod.

"Oh, you sound surprised?" retorted Paige.

"OK, OK, timeout!" said Toby, forming a 'T' with his hands. "We're all stressed. We're all still trying to process all of this. Collins wants us start fighting again and I sure as hell don't want to give the bastard anything he wants so let's all try to stay cool."

"I'm with the Doc," said Cabe. "There are two people in danger, people we care about, we don't have time to fight."

"I wasn't fighting," replied Walter, flatly. Then he turned to Paige. "I don't want to fight," he added pointedly.

Paige nodded. "Me neither," she agreed. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened. She'd suddenly felt the need to defend herself, but Walter hadn't actually said or done anything that even remotely resembled an attack. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Before anyone could say anything, another text alert sounded. This time it was Sylvester's phone. He looked at the screen, desperately hoping it would be a message from Patty to say she'd stopped at the mall, or missed the bus, but when he saw the screen he knew it was from Collins. "It's a G," he announced.

"That's not a Greek letter," noted Ralph, but before anyone could offer any theories, Paige's phone sounded.

"I got a P," she said.

"Bathroom's over there," sniggered Toby. Happy elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, you know what I'm like when I'm nervous," retorted Toby, nursing his new bruise.

"This is a waste of time!" exclaimed Walter and he stormed off towards the kitchen. Cabe and Toby both made a move to follow him, but Paige stopped them. "I'll go," she said.

"You sure?" asked Cabe.

Paige nodded. "He doesn't know how to process how he's feeling," she said. "This is where I come in. This is what I do."

She walked over to join Walter who was standing by the fridge drinking milk straight from a carton.

"Hey," she said in a gentle voice as she approached. Walter looked up, but said nothing. "Um, so, y'know, it's OK to be angry. In fact, it might be good for you if you can channel it into finding Patty and… and Florence."

Walter shrugged and gulped down another mouthful of milk.

"I, er, I'm sorry about before," continued Paige. "I… I didn't mean to… to snap at you. I'm just so worried and…"

"I understand," Walter answered. "And… and you're right, I am angry. These last four weeks h…have been… I know I haven't been dealing with my f…f…feelings in the correct way. I… I honestly never thought I'd see you again, Paige. Now, suddenly, here you are… and the team… and I don't know what to think, but… but now I can't afford to think a…a…about it because Collins has done this… and…"

"We do need to focus on finding Collins," Paige interrupted him. "The rest… the team… us… it'll have to wait. I can't focus on all of it either. In the last four weeks… especially these last few days… I thought I was losing my mind. My emotions have taken control of me and I'm trying to get back that control, but it's hard. It's so hard, Walter."

Walter put down the milk carton and reached out his hand, resting it on her forearm. Paige didn't move, allowing him to touch her. It felt so natural, so comforting, so safe. She wanted more.

"Paige," began Walter. "I'm… I'm lost without you."

Paige gasped. "I… I don't know what to say," she whispered. They stood there for a moment, both accepting that they felt… well, something they couldn't explain. The moment was shattered by Toby's voice.

"A poop emoji, what the hell?" Toby frowned at his phone screen as they walked back to join the others.

"Look, I've got an E!" added Cabe. "Another dumb letter. If Collins was here I'd shove his letters up his..."

"I have a T," Happy interrupted before Cabe could finish his train of thought.

Walter quickly wheeled the blackboard over from the corner of the garage and picked up a small piece of chalk. He scribbled the letters on the board, reciting them out loud as he did so. "Y… G… P… E… T… and a poop."

"Egypt!" chorused Toby, Happy, Sylvester and Ralph in unison.

"Yeah, even I figured that out," added Cabe. "I was kinda expecting a harder puzzle."

"Egypt is a big country," Paige noted. "It doesn't really give us that much to go on."

"The puzzle is a delaying tactic," explained Toby. "He wants us to find him, but he needs a head-start. He knows we'll do whatever he says, we have no choice if we want to save Flo and Patty."

Walter sighed. He knew Collins was just using Florence and Patty to get to him and the rest of the team, but he didn't want to think about what he might be doing to them. "What does the poop have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Could be Collins' way of pointing out we're all in the crap?" suggested Toby.

"Wait!" exclaimed Sylvester and he scurried over to his old desk without thinking.

Toby and Cabe exchanged a glance, it was certainly a good sign that Sylvester felt comfortable enough being back at the garage to sit at his old desk. It was an even better sign that Walter hadn't commented, or tried to stop him. Maybe this could work after all?

"What have you got, Sly?" asked Ralph, running over to join him as he furiously tapped the keys on his laptop.

"There's an… an… old sewage treatment plant in the middle of the desert," he said, clicking one final key to send the images to the largest screen in the monitor tree. "It was abandoned years ago. Turns out a group of scientists were using the remote location to carry out dangerous experiments on humans - people died, so the place was shut down."

"What makes you think this is the right place?" asked Cabe as he studied the aerial photos on the screen.

"Mark told me about it once," replied Sylvester. "Remember when he used to corner me and… and rant in that crazy way that scared the living daylights out of me? Well, he said those scientists should have been hailed as heroes for pushing the boundaries of science with their experiments, not locked up as criminals."

"Trust Collins to see the good in a bunch of murdering psychos," noted Toby.

"He knew you'd remember your conversation, Sly. It must be the place," said Walter. He crossed over to the monitors and pointed to the corner of the image on the screen. "Happy, is that an airstrip? How quickly could Collins organise a flight?" he asked.

"Hijack a plane, you mean?" Happy queried.

"Well he ain't gonna rock up to LAX and book tickets on Amex," noted Toby.

"The plant has its own airstrip," said Sylvester, reading information from his computer screen. "It's in the middle of nowhere, there's no road network to speak of."

"I'll call it in," said Cabe. "I'm guessin' it's already too late, but at least we should put all airports on alert. He's a wanted man and he has hostages. Even with his talent for evading the authorities it won't be easy for him to leave the country."

"Collins said no cops," Sylvester reminded him. "We can't alert anyone. We don't know what he'll do…" he trailed off. Everyone knew what he was thinking, they were thinking it too.

"Is there any way we can verify this before we go on a wild goose chase?" asked Walter.

"Oh… oh… we're going to Egypt, aren't we," said Sylvester. His chest was starting to feel tight again. "I… I… I don't know if I can…"

"Hey, it's Patty and Flo out there, Sly," Cabe reminded him, sternly. "Whatever it is you think you can't do, you _can_. Understood?"

Sylvester nodded profusely. _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Cabe," said Paige. "I want Ralph at Homeland with Allie."

"I'll make the arrangements," replied Cabe and he picked up his phone, but Ralph leapt to his feet and grabbed it from his hand.

"No!" he exclaimed.

Everyone was stunned by his outburst, especially Paige. "Ralph!" she scolded. "What are you doing?" She'd never seen him act this way before. Had the last four weeks affected him more than she realised? Maybe running away had just been the tip of the iceberg?

"I'm coming to Egypt with you," said Ralph, folding his arms defiantly across his chest.

"No you're not," insisted Paige. "Mark Collins is dangerous. I need to keep you safe."

"But I need to keep _you_ safe, Mom," Ralph answered with determination. "I can't stay here while you go chasing after Collins. He's smart, but he's crazy so it's going to take all of us working together to outsmart him. I'm coming with you. You need me."

Paige was stunned. Her mouth fell open, but she struggled to find any words to say.

Cabe was the first to speak. "I know you wanna help, but your mom's right. This is way too dangerous. I'm calling Homeland, I'll have a car here in ten minutes to pick you up."

Ralph turned to Walter. They still hadn't had chance for a proper conversation about what had happened between Walter and his mom, but it would have to wait. This was far more important and Ralph hoped more than anything that Walter still understood him the way he always had. He hoped they still had the same connection they'd had since the day they'd first met in the diner. "Tell them, Walter," he said.

Walter slowly turned his head to look Paige in the eye, but said nothing.

"No," said Paige, shaking her head, suddenly terrified by the expression on Walter's face. "No, no, no! Walter… don't you dare! He has to stay here where it's safe!"

Toby leaned in close to Happy's ear. "This could get interesting," he whispered and Happy nodded in agreement. They'd both seen that look on Walter's face before and now they were seeing the same look on Ralph. No-one was going to change either of their minds, not even Paige.

"I… I'm sorry, Paige," said Walter. "Ralph is correct, we need him. He has the highest IQ on the team."

"He's a child, Walter!"

"You told me once that I have the emotional capacity of a teenager, do you think I should also stay behind?" asked Walter.

"No, no, don't you throw that back in my face now!" begged Paige. "Please, Walter."

"Think about this for a second, son," urged Cabe. "We know what Collins is capable of."

"Yes and that's why we need Ralph," replied Walter. He looked back at Paige. "You are his mother, of course I will respect your wishes…"

"No!" shouted Ralph, but Walter held up a hand to silence him.

"But," he continued. "But I urge you to consider the greater good. Collins needs to be stopped. Please, Paige. I promise you I'll protect Ralph. With my own life if I have to."

"Walter…" She could only say his name before the tears started to fall and she realised he was right. They couldn't take the chance that Collins might get away again. She looked at Ralph and she couldn't help but smile through her tears. "Ralph, I'm so proud of you… so proud."

"Does that mean…?" Ralph let his words hang and waited.

Paige nodded, then she looked at Walter. "If anything happens to my son…"

Walter nodded. She didn't need to finish her sentence. "I meant what I said, Paige. With my life."

Cabe took a deep breath, the seriousness of the situation was suddenly all too real. "I'll call in a few favours, we'll be on a plane within the hour, but we'll be on our own. No back up. No extraction plan. That's the way Collins wants it and we can't take any chances, at least not until we know Patty and Flo are safe."

Sylvester let out an audible whimper and Toby wrapped his arm around Happy's shoulders. They were really going to do this - together. They had no choice.

 _To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12 - Long Flight

**The newly reunited team are on their way to Egypt, but on a sixteen hour flight there's very little to do except talk to each other.**

 ** _Thank you once again for all the reviews. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

 **CHAPTER 12**

"Calculate the odds of the same group of people in a plane crashing on a desert island twice in as many years."

Sylvester gripped the armrests even tighter than he had already been doing and twisted round in his seat to glare at Toby. "I hate you," he hissed.

Toby grinned and slapped him affectionately on the shoulder. "No you don't," he insisted. Then his voice became softer. "Just breathe, pal."

Sylvester nodded. Flying was one of his greatest fears, especially in a small plane, but after the way his anxiety had taken hold of him over the last four weeks for some reason this flight didn't seem as terrifying. "I just want to find Patty... and Florence," said Sylvester. "And send Mark Collins back to prison."

Toby nodded seriously. "We all do," he agreed. He leaned back in his seat and glanced across to Happy who was already half asleep.

Cabe had been able to arrange the flight thanks to an old friend from the Marines, but they knew the pilot wouldn't be hanging around once they got to Egypt. This was a one way flight. Whatever happened once they got there they would be on their own. Toby slipped out of his seat and walked down the aisle past Sylvester and then past Cabe who was snoring loudly. Any other day and Toby would have drawn a moustache and glasses on the sleeping man's face, or _accidentally_ spilled water in his lap. But today was different.

Toby reached the next pair of seats. Ralph had his earphones in and was staring out of the window at the clouds. Anyone who didn't know Ralph would have assumed he was just a typical teenager listening to music, but Toby knew he was probably listening to a lecture given by one of his favourite astrophysicists. Music calmed Paige, but science calmed Ralph. Paige had her eyes closed, but Toby could tell she wasn't asleep. He crouched beside her and gently touched her elbow.

"Hey," he said and her eyes flickered open.

"Hey," she replied with half a smile. "How long before we land?"

"Another seven hours," replied Toby. "How're you feeling?"

Paige sighed. "Do you really need me to answer that question?" she asked.

"Just checking on my patient," Toby grinned. "Figured we could squeeze in some couch time. Thought you might need it."

Paige nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm scared to death," she admitted. "I guess we all are though, right?"

Toby pressed his lips together before answering. "Very perceptive of you, Miss Dineen," he replied.

"But... but I feel different," continued Paige. "Different to the way I've been feeling lately, I mean. I... I don't feel as though I'm about to lash out, or burst into tears. I feel... I feel calmer. Is that weird, considering what we're flying into?"

"Total psychotic breakdown," replied Toby, but the twinkle in his eye gave him away.

"Thank you for your reassurance, Doctor," Paige responded sarcastically. "Can't you just be serious for one second?"

"OK, OK, here's the deal," replied Toby. "You have something new to focus on now and your psyche is channelling all your mental energy into that instead of into thinking about Walter and Scorpion. When we catch Collins you should thank him for the distraction." Toby raised an eyebrow to illustrate the irony in his statement.

"When we catch Collins I won't be thanking him, believe me," replied Paige.

"Forget Collins for a second," continued Toby. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to Walter's seat. He was working on his laptop, presumably reviewing the blueprints of the old sewage plant Sylvester had found. "Maybe this downtime is a good opportunity to have another little chat with Walt?" he suggested.

"I... I don't know what else to say to him?" Paige replied. "It feels like I have so much more to say, but I just don't know how. Does that make any sense?"

"I think maybe it's time to draw a line under what happened?" suggested Toby. "A big fat line, with one of those jumbo Sharpies. Maybe you've said all you can say about it already? From now on why don't you concentrate on the future, any idea where Walt is on that?"

Paige shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't figure him out, Toby."

"Join the club," replied Toby, rolling his eyes. "He's more of a mystery to me now than he ever was."

"I think he's still mad at me, but then sometimes he..." she trailed off for a moment and tried to put it into words. "Sometimes he says or does something... oh, I don't know, it's as if just for a moment everything feels just like it used to before. As if none of this ever happened and I could so easily... so easily..."

"Fall back into his arms?" offered Toby. "Smash your lips together and really get his gooty going?"

"Toby!" Paige exclaimed louder than she'd meant to. She clasped her hand over her mouth and glared at him. "I... I..." she stammered. "I can't even think about... I can't..."

"Well you are," noted Toby, pointedly. "Right now in fact and..." he paused and turned his head to glance at Walter. "And he is definitely thinking about it too."

"For God's sake, Toby, we're flying half way round the world to rescue our friends from a dangerous mad man," said Paige. "There's no way he's thinking about sex!"

"You've heard the stats about how often we guys think about it, right?"

"But that's an urban myth, isn't it?"

Toby chuckled. "'Fraid not," he replied. Then his face became more serious. "Talk to him, tell him how confused you are. Ask him to tell you what's going through his mind."

Paige nodded slowly as she contemplated his suggestion. "But… but how will I know if he's telling me the truth?" she asked. She bit hard on her lower lip. She felt suddenly guilty for thinking that way, but she couldn't help it, she wasn't ready to completely trust him yet. She wasn't ready to trust anyone. She wasn't completely sure she ever would be.

"I think he's learnt his lesson about lying to you, hasn't he?" Toby answered. "Listen, Paige, it's normal to feel like this. It's going to take time before you can completely trust anyone. We've talked about how this runs far deeper than Walter and that dumb lecture, so don't feel guilty, OK?"

"OK," replied Paige, wondering again how Toby was able to read her so accurately.

"It might be good to try to explain some of this to Walter when you're ready," continued Toby. "You're right, he's still carrying some anger, but he's more confused than anything. He doesn't understand his own feelings, but he has no hope of understanding yours unless you spell it all out to him."

Paige glanced over to Walter. She knew how desperate he was to see Mark Collins back behind bars, even more so since it had become clear that Collins had played a part in their break up. Walter had his laptop balanced precariously on the empty seat next to him and he was working on a tablet, occasionally glancing between the two screens. She missed watching Walter work, the way his brow furrowed while his mind tossed around one complicated theory after another, the way he would suck the inside of his cheek as he typed out line after line of code. She missed him so much.

So _goddamn_ much.

He'd told her he was lost without her and she realised she was lost without him, but she didn't know if they would ever find each other again.

She felt Toby's hand squeezing her forearm gently and she knew he understood. Without saying another word he got to his feet and headed back to his seat.

Paige looked at Walter again. She knew Toby was right, she knew they had more talking to do, but right now she was too mentally drained to even consider it. Maybe on the flight home, she thought to herself, after they'd rescued Patty and... and Florence.

Oh… Florence.

She still had to face Florence. She wasn't ready for that... she still wasn't ready. Paige squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tried to clear her mind, concentrating on nothing but her breathing and the hum of the engines.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

"What're you thinking about, husband?"

Toby smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt so he could lean over to kiss his wife. "You," he replied and their lips met.

"Bullcrap," snapped Happy as soon as the moment of tenderness had passed. They were each dealing with their fears in their own way, Happy's way was to be extra grouchy. Toby was used to it. "The truth, Doc, or I'll..."

"OK, OK, sugarplum," Toby interrupted her before she had chance to detail her threat. "I was thinking about Paige and Walt," he admitted. "Paige needs to know where she stands and Walt can't tell her because he doesn't know himself."

"They're a pair of morons," noted Happy. "Why the heck can't they just talk to each other?"

"Well ain't that the billion dollar question," replied Toby, rolling his eyes. "Right, I guess it's my turn instead." He pushed himself to his feet. "Do you think he's ready for a little mile-high couch time with Doctor Curtis?"

"Don't make things worse," warned Happy.

Toby clutched his chest in mock offence. "Have a little faith in me, lovebug, please?"

Secretly, although he would never admit it to anyone, part of him was terrified of doing exactly that. Ever since the break-up he'd gone over and over the events in his mind, wondering if he could have said or done anything to prevent it. The stumbling block had, of course, been Walter's unwavering stubbornness and Toby had spent years battling against that with little success, but Paige's insecurities were relatively new to him. Should he have recognised just how much her past affected her behaviour? She had, apparently, become an expert at keeping that side of herself hidden, even from him.

Toby walked down the plane to Walter's seat. "Hey, pal," he said and Walter looked up from his work. Toby nodded towards the seat next to him which was currently occupied by Walter's tablet. "Can you spare a know-it-all five minutes for a chat?" he asked.

Walter rolled his eyes and cleared off the seat. "I've already apologised for my choice of words on that day," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," nodded Toby, sliding into the seat. "So, any theories on Collins? Anything from CLAM?"

Walter shook his head sadly. "I've analysed all the CLAM data from the last year and I just can't find anything. How has he been able to remain invisible for so long?" He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as a wave of emotion washed over him. "Patty and Florence don't deserve this. I should have prevented this."

"I wish I could say I knew what he was up to, but you know how he was able to lie to me in Norway, I can't get inside his head," replied Toby with a sigh. "He's outsmarted us again and now we're heading to the Land of the Pharaohs with no idea what his sociopathic mind is playing at. We've all gotta be at the top of our game, Walt."

"I am aware of that," replied Walter, sounding a little snippy.

"So, if you want to talk about anything before we land, I'm here to listen."

Walter swallowed hard. He glanced across the plane to where Paige had fallen asleep in her seat. Her head had slumped to one side and her hair fell across her face, gently moving with every breath she took. Walter had witnessed Paige sleeping on many flights in the past, but on all those other occasions her head had come to rest on his shoulder. He would carefully position it to make her as comfortable as possible and brush her hair behind her ear so it didn't irritate her. This time he couldn't do either of those things. He'd lost that right. He wanted it back.

He wanted _her_ back.

Walter took a deep breath, painfully aware that Toby was waiting for an answer and no doubt analysing his every move while he waited. Every breath, every twitch. Maybe he should take advantage of Toby's professional expertise after all? Maybe he should ask him what he was supposed to do about the empty, aching feeling he'd been carrying around for the last four weeks. Maybe Toby could cure his pain, maybe there was a pill he could prescribe…

Maybe he should ask Toby to analyse why he'd made the decisions he'd made, why he went to that goddam lecture with Florence. He could ask him about why Florence had developed feelings for him, about why Sylvester hadn't acted on his own feelings sooner, about why Paige had said all those hurtful things…

"Toby, why did you walk out on me?"

Toby was visibly stunned, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. That wasn't the question he'd been expecting at all. Toby was rarely lost for words, but this was one of those times. Walter had clearly been thinking about Paige and Toby had been preparing answers to questions about Paige's emotional state, about her behaviour on the day of the break-up and since. He had not been preparing to lay his own emotions open, to be so vulnerable. He couldn't help but admire Walter's ability to segue and for being so direct.

"I… I had to walk away," he replied once he'd had a moment to think. "I couldn't stay… I just couldn't…"

"That's not an explanation, Toby."

Toby nodded slowly. "Did Cabe tell you our news?" he asked. He'd told Cabe about their adoption plans, but he hadn't had the opportunity to tell Walter yet.

Walter shook his head. "What news?"

"Just before everything blew up that day, Hap and I had made a huge decision," Toby explained. "We'd decided we're going to adopt."

Walter's eyes widened. He realised he shouldn't be surprised, considering the difficulty they'd had conceiving, but he was. "Oh, um, congratulations," he said, unsure as to the appropriate response.

"We're still a long way off the congratulations stage," replied Toby with half a smile. "But the point is my amazing wifey and I were both feeling kinda elated, really emotional actually and I guess we figured we were gonna gather the team and tell you our plans and then after you'd all told us how happy you were for us maybe we'd head up to the roof, fire up the grill and dance the night away. Instead we got Scorpionageddon."

"I see," Walter responded. "I… I'm sorry, I'm not sure what to say. I… I can only apologise for…"

"Don't," Toby interrupted him with a smile he hoped Walter would realise was one of forgiveness. "We've all said sorry so many times in the last couple days. And heck, Walt, I can't pile all the blame onto you for what happened. Yes, I was so mad at you for not listening to me because I'd warned you and _warned_ you and so had Happy and Sly and even Patty but…" he paused and sighed. "But I was also kinda stunned by the way Paige lashed out. I mean, I knew she'd be furious, but I had no idea… and… and Sly too. Poor kid went postal and I really wasn't expecting that at all."

Walter was silent for a moment. "You… you could've come back, you know."

Toby pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. Walter was right, of course. He and Happy could have gone back to the garage, back to Walter. Maybe after a day or two, or a week, once the dust had settled, but… "Paige set up Centipede," he explained. "I figured once we'd scored the Gettleman contract she would've decided she'd proved her point and we could all sit down and start working on fixing Scorpion," he continued. "But then it just kinda snowballed and she offered us a partnership. She believed in us, Walt and at that point I wasn't sure that you did anymore."

Walt nodded slowly. He understood why Toby felt that way. "I know I've made mistakes," he said quietly. "I… I should've been a… a better friend."

"Hey, pal, I think we're both guilty in that area, don't you?"

Walter looked directly at Toby. "Paige… is she…?" he began, but he couldn't get the words out. "Is she… that is, these past four weeks… some days I wake up a…a…and I can't clear my head, but Paige…"

"Paige has been…" Toby hesitated. He didn't want to break Paige's confidence, of course, but he wasn't sure how much she'd told Walter over dinner the previous evening. "Listen, she's hit a really low point," he continued eventually. "But we're doing a lot of work together and… and she'll be OK. She just needs time."

Walter glanced over at Paige. How much time? He didn't know how much longer he could go on like this. The emptiness…

"Walt, you OK?" asked Toby with genuine concern.

Walter just nodded. He was far from OK, of course, and he knew Toby would see right through him immediately, but right now he didn't have the strength to say anything else.

xXxXxXxXx

"What is all this junk?"

"This junk, Cabe," answered Sylvester as he helped unload the last of the cases onto the sandy runway, "is our equipment. We have equipment now."

"There must be thousands of dollars' worth of gear here," noted Cabe, opening one of the cases. He couldn't help but be impressed at the array of tools and digital apparatus that met his eyes.

"I took out a bank loan," replied Paige, quickly, feeling the need to justify herself. "I didn't want my team walking into danger ill equipped."

"We always managed before," noted Walter. "Bank loans are expensive."

Toby stood ready to intervene, sensing Paige was about to explode, but to her credit she didn't take the bait. Not that Walter had intentionally been baiting her, but Paige, of course, had taken it that way anyway.

The team stood back as the plane taxied around and took off, leaving them alone in the desert. Except they all knew they weren't alone at all. Collins was here, somewhere and – more importantly – so were Patty and Florence.

"Where do we start?" asked Cabe. "This place is huge!" He looked at the vast complex of buildings in front of them. The outside was in a state of disrepair – not surprising since the plant had been abandoned for over ten years. The metalwork was rusting and the windows were smashed, although the concrete structures looked a little sturdier. The sun was just starting to rise on a new day, casting an eerie light across the complex.

"We've had nothing else from Collins," replied Walter. He turned to Ralph. "Any ideas?" he asked.

"Collins is using Patty and Florence to get us here," replied the young genius. "Now we're here he'll want us contained, so my guess is they're inside. I suggest we find a door and go in."

Paige smiled at the simplicity of his suggestion. "Sounds easy enough to me," she said. She picked up one of the lighter bags and slung it across her back. "OK, geniuses, listen up," she continued and immediately she had everyone's attention. "I don't know if I lost the right to do this four weeks ago and when we get back I'll probably have to give it up again, but right now I'm doing it anyway. We have no idea what we're walking into," she said. "Probably a trap, but I don't think we have a choice so I need all of you focussed. That means teamwork. No bickering, no nit-picking, no heroics. Understood? So if I catch any of you with your heads up your butts, I'm going to…"

"I think we get the message, Paige," Walter interrupted her.

"You heard my mom," said Ralph, proudly, but fighting the sudden wave of fear that washed over him. "Our friends need our help. Let's go."

 _To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 13 - Rescue

**The team begin the dangerous search for Patty and Florence.**

 ** _I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for all the reviews so far, they mean so much!_**

 **CHAPTER 13.**

"Cabe, are you armed?"

Paige held Cabe back from the rest of the group by grasping his elbow. The building they'd entered was obviously the old administration offices for the sewage plant and they'd covered about half the rooms so far, but found nothing but empty desks, chairs and decade old computer equipment.

Cabe lifted back his jacket to reveal his sidearm strapped to his hip in a leather holster. "One of the benefits of flying in under the radar," he noted.

Paige nodded. She had been trying not to think about the fact they were in Egypt illegally. What if this was Collins' plan after all? What if Patty and Florence weren't really here and Collins was simply going to call the authorities to have them all arrested as spies? She let out a slow breath. No, she couldn't afford to start thinking that way, she realised. She had to stay focused.

"And I won't hesitate to use it if I have to."

"Huh?"

"My weapon," added Cabe. His eyes narrowed with concern at her blank look. It was as if she'd completely forgotten the question she'd asked him only a few seconds ago. "Hey, it's gonna be OK, kid," he said, trying to reassure her.

Paige smiled weakly. "I wish I had your confidence," she replied.

"Oh look! The kitchen! Anyone for coffee?"

It was Toby's voice. He led the rest of the group into the brightly lit room.

"Good thing Collins fired up the generator," noted Sylvester. "At least we're not searching in the d...d...dark." He shuddered at the prospect of walking around this spooky building without the bright, fluorescent lights that hung from the ceiling.

"Or the heat," added Walter. "It's a hundred and nine degrees outside. Without functioning AC the temperature in this building would be unbearable."

"Maybe Collins does love us after all?" offered Toby, sarcastically.

"Collins doesn't love us, Doc," snapped Happy. "He loves making us look like goddamn idiots."

Toby opened the fridge and pouted. "Looks like my beautiful wife is right, as always," he said. "Collins forgot to get groceries. No creamer, no bagels, no bacon. What are we meant to have for breakfast?"

"We should keep searching," snapped Walter. "We're wasting time with this ridiculous conversation." He stormed out of the kitchen and back into the corridor.

Toby exchanged a glance with Cabe and the older man nodded before racing after Walter.

"Wait up, son," he said. Walter stopped and turned to face him. "Give the guys a break," continued Cabe. "We've got to keep up morale during all this or we go crazy. Conversation ain't ridiculous when it's the only thing stopping people going out of their minds with fear. In the Marines we..."

"Cabe, now really isn't the time for one of your war stories," Walter snapped at him.

Cabe pressed his lips together, determined not to lose his temper with Walter. He'd spent a lot of time during the last few weeks doing the exact same thing. He knew Walter had been struggling to cope and he'd been ready to help if he could, but most of the time Walter had been insufferable with all his worst qualities coming to the fore – arrogance, stubbornness – all the ones which had contributed to his part in the break-up in the first place.

"Son, we all want to find our friends and stop Collins and we will if we just hold it together," he said. "They need you."

"Are you sure about that?" Walter asked quietly.

Cabe reached out and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "They need you," he repeated.

Walter stood frozen to the spot for a moment. His head was a jumble of thoughts and he couldn't reconcile any of them, nothing made sense any more. "All we're doing is pushing open doors and looking in empty rooms," he said eventually. "We should have figured out a better way of searching by now."

"Not everything has a genius solution," Cabe answered. "Come on, let's go push open a few more doors."

Walter sighed and walked back to join the rest of the team. "Um, I… I… I apologise for snapping at you, it w…w…was uncalled for," he said, his cheeks showing a hint of pink.

"OK, who are you and what did you do with the real Walter O'Brien?" asked Toby. "Y'know, the one with the giant ego who's never wrong?"

Happy slapped him on the back of his head, sending his hat flying to the floor. "Shut the hell up, Doc!" she exclaimed.

Toby picked up his hat, placed it back on his head and spread his hands out in front of him in a gesture of peace.

"Please, no more fighting," begged Sylvester. "We need to keep moving." And before anyone could say another word he pushed himself to the front of the group and marched ahead.

Walter wasn't far behind and they continued to search the offices. The first two were empty, but then Paige tried another door, expecting it to open easily like the others, but this one was locked. "Oh my god," she said and everyone stopped in their tracks.

Happy stepped forward and produced her lock picking tools from her backpack. "I'll have it open in a second," she promised and she set to work.

"Flo? Patty?" Toby called out. "Can you hear me? Are you OK in there?" He pressed his ear to the door, but he heard nothing. He tried not to think the worse, but a quick glance at the rest of the team told him they were all thinking it already.

Sylvester was the first to try to vocalise his fear. "What if…" he began, but he couldn't finish his thought. He didn't dare to, they had no idea what Collins was capable of. They might be too late.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out..._

There was a distinct click from the lock and everyone looked at Happy with expectation. "Done," she announced.

Cabe reached out towards the door handle, but Happy grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Could be booby-trapped," she said.

She looked at Walter. _Everyone_ looked at Walter.

Walter was suddenly acutely aware of the expectation. He was their leader, they were expecting him to make the call. This was how it used to be, yet it felt so different now. Before, it felt natural for him to make the decisions because he always made the right decisions. He used his high IQ together with input from his trusted team to decide on the best course of action and he was always right.

Always.

Except for that one time he _had_ been wrong. That one time he _had_ made a bad decision. A terrible decision - the decision to lie to Paige. That one time he hadn't listened to his friends' input, convinced they were wrong and he was right and it had ruined everything. Now he was suddenly overwhelmed with crushing self-doubt.

"Earth to Walt?" Toby looked at him with genuine concern as he spoke. "You still with us, pal?"

"What? Yes, of course, where else would I be?"

"You zoned out on us there for a second," explained Toby. "You feeling OK? Dizzy? Drink some water."

"I'm fine," snapped Walter. Then he turned to Happy. "A stud finder should detect if there's anything attached to the door."

"Good thinking, O'Brien," replied Happy and she swung her backpack from her shoulders and dropped it the floor. Then she crouched beside it and quickly found the small device. She looked up at Toby. "If you do the stud finder gag again I'll shove it so far up your…"

"Just test the door!" urge Ralph. "Patty and Florence could be in there!"

Happy nodded and ran the device slowly over the door and around the door frame and it only beeped near the hinges and the lock. She looked at Walter. "Doesn't mean for certain that it's clean," she pointed out.

Walter nodded slowly before answering. "We have to take the chance. I'll open it," he said. "Everyone stand back." He waited a second for twisting the handle and opening the door. He held his breath, half expecting some kind of nasty surprise, but there was nothing. The sight that met his eyes filled him with relief and fear in equal measure. "It's Patty!" he exclaimed.

Walter ran into the room with the rest of the team right behind him. Patty was tied to a chair in the corner of the room. Unlike the other offices they'd looked in there was nothing else in this one at all. No desk, no filing cabinet, nothing. Patty reacted to the sudden noise and activity with a squeak – the only sound she could manage. She was blindfolded and gagged, but she was alive. Her dark hair was tangled and scrunched with the blindfold and a small trickle of blood could be seen running from her left nostril.

Toby and Sylvester rushed towards her, but they'd only taken a few steps when the room lit up with a series of bright light beams criss-crossing the space between them and Patty.

"Motion sensors!" exclaimed Happy. "Everyone freeze!"

Patty let out a louder squeak.

"Hey, Patty, it's OK," said Toby in the most soothing voice he could muster. "You're gonna be just fine, we're gonna Scorpion you the hell out of here as soon as we can. I just need you to stay calm. Can you do that for me?"

Patty responded with a tiny nod.

Toby glanced at Happy who was scanning the room for the source of the light beams. He'd never seen her looking so scared. He knew as well as she did that Collins could have set other traps for them so for now they couldn't risk any sudden movements.

"Patty, I promise you everything's going to be alright," said Walter. He had never meant anything so much in his life before. He couldn't allow any harm to come to her because of Mark Collins, he just couldn't. If he'd hated Collins before, he really detested him with every fibre of his being now.

Suddenly, Happy darted towards the back corner of the room.

"Happy!" yelled Toby, automatically reaching out to stop her, but she was too fast for him. Everyone froze, but then suddenly the lights disappeared. Slowly, the others turned to look at Happy.

"It was just a dumb light show," she snarled. "I threw the switch on the projector, problem solved. Collins is an asshole."

Toby grinned proudly at his wife before rushing to Patty. He knelt down beside her and Sylvester did the same on the other side, while Walter began to untie the rope that was securing her arms behind her back.

"It's OK, you're safe," said Toby, reassuringly. He untied her blindfold which revealed a large, yellowing bruise around her left eye and she squinted at the sudden onslaught of bright light. Toby exchanged a worried glance with Sylvester. Clearly Collins had no qualms about causing harm to his hostages.

Sylvester loosened the strip of ragged cloth Collins had tied around her mouth. Patty gagged on her own dry tongue as he removed it and Paige quickly handed Sylvester a bottle from her backpack. He flipped open the top and offered it to Patty's lips. "Here," he said.

"How's it going back there, Walt?" asked Toby.

"Almost done," replied Walter, tugging furiously at the ropes. Cabe had joined him and was slicing through the bonds with his knife.

Patty gulped down as much water as she could. "Hey, steady," urged Toby, moving the bottle away from her.

Sylvester took the bottle from Toby and winced as the extent of the bruising to her face became clear. The yellow colouring reached from her eye down to her cheekbone and the side of her nose. He could feel his chest start to tighten. He couldn't afford to lose it now, Patty had been kidnapped by a madman and she wasn't freaking out so why should he? He closed his eyes and struggled desperately to force air into his lungs.

"Breathe," whispered Toby as if he'd read his thoughts – which, Sylvester acknowledged, was almost exactly what he had done. He opened his eyes and gave Toby a little nod.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

That simple mantra had got Sylvester through so much in the last four weeks and his mind clutched at the words.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

"There!" announced Walter as he freed the last of the ropes that had been restraining Patty.

Patty slowly moved her stiff, aching arms around and rested her hands in her lap, yelping in pain with every movement. Toby gently massaged her shoulders and the pain started to ease.

"Where is he?" she asked anxiously, looking from Toby to Sylvester. "Is he still here?"

"Just relax," urged Toby, avoiding her question. "Concentrate on breathing." Then he spoke to Walter. "My guess is she's been in here for around three hours."

"Geez!" exclaimed Cabe. "She's just a kid. Collins is gonna pay for this."

"Let's get you out of here," said Sylvester and he lifted her into her into his arms. Patty clung tightly to him. "You're safe now," he said, but he knew as long as Collins was still out there, their continuing safety was far from guaranteed.

"Stop!"

Happy's voice stunned everyone and Sylvester froze.

"What is it?" asked Ralph. He was so worried about Patty. He cared deeply for her and he hated to see her like this, she looked so small and vulnerable.

"Did anyone else hear that?" asked Happy. "That click?" She threw herself onto her hands and knees and peered under the chair Patty had been sitting on, but she needed a better view so she lay herself flat on the floor. She momentarily closed her eyes, hoping they'd been deceiving her, but of course they hadn't. She opened them again and saw exactly what she'd spotted the first time – a red LED display and it was counting backwards.

"Bomb!" she yelled, leaping to her feet.

Sylvester ran with Patty in his arms as fast as he could towards the door. Paige grabbed Ralph's hand and Walter grabbed hers and the three of them almost stumbled over themselves in their hurry to get out. Toby and Happy were a split second behind them, Toby all but pushing Happy along in front of him and Cabe was last out of the room. He closed the door behind him and they all sprinted towards the nearest exit.

The intense heat of the mid-morning desert sun hit them like a slap in the face the minute they stepped outside and their pace immediately slowed.

"Are... are we safe yet?" panted Sylvester.

Cabe touched his elbow and took Patty from his arms as sweat began dripping down the younger man's face.

"Didn't get a good look at it," replied Happy. "But from what I saw it was powerful enough to take out the room and anyone in it."

Walter nodded and they all gratefully came to a halt, panting and half collapsing in the floor in a small area of shade created by the tall chimney on the other building. Cabe gently rested Patty against the wall and Paige handed her some more water.

Toby gently examined her nose with his thumbs and a fresh trickle of blood appeared from her right nostril. "Nothing broken," he said with relief. "Just bruising."

Sylvester produced a tissue from his pocket and held it under her nose. He hated blood and he was fighting the urge to pass out, but he forced himself to do this for Patty. It was the least he could do for her.

 _Breathe in... and hold... and out..._

Toby checked Patty's pulse, it was almost back to normal now and he was relieved. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked.

"Not really," replied Patty, quietly. "I was standing at the bus stop and then a van pulled up and this guy got out."

"Big guy with a beard?" asked Cabe and Patty nodded.

"No, that's Santa Claus, Cabe!" grinned Toby. He winked at Patty and she managed a small smile.

"He walked over to me," she continued, "and just grabbed me. I've taken self-defence classes, I tried to get away, but he was too strong. The next thing I remember I was on a plane with Florence."

"Florence is here?" asked Sylvester. His eyes widened at the news. He didn't know what he was going to say to her when he saw her, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was finding her safe.

"I… I guess. Somewhere," replied Patty with a shrug.

"Did he… did he do anything else to you?" asked Paige.

Patty shook her head. "He didn't do this," she replied, pointing to her nose. "It was an accident. I tripped getting out of the helicopter."

"Collins has a chopper?" exclaimed Happy in surprise. Then she shrugged. "Actually, nothing that bastard does surprises me any more."

Just then Ralph got to his feet and walked slowly out into the sun.

"Ralph, get back here!" exclaimed Paige.

Ralph stopped walking and slowly turned around to face the team. "There hasn't been an explosion yet," he pointed out.

"That's good, isn't it?" replied Cabe, looking over his shoulder towards the building they'd just escaped from.

"Ralph's right. I need to go back inside," announced Walter suddenly.

"What? No!" replied Happy.

"I didn't say that," insisted Ralph, running back into the shaded area.

"Don't be a fool, son!" urged Cabe.

"Think about it," continued Walter. "The timer was counting down. Why would Mark give us such a long time to escape? He didn't want the explosion to hurt Patty, or us. There must be another reason why he's given us much longer to figure it out. Sly, how long since the device was triggered?"

Walter was on his feet now and his brow furrowed as he started to formulate a theory.

"Eleven minutes," replied Sylvester. He narrowed his eyes, recognising that annoying habit Walter had of keeping his ideas to himself when everyone else was so desperate to know what was going through his mind.

Happy walked over to join Walter. "What're you thinking, O'Brien?" she asked.

"I'm thinking Mark is playing games with us again," he replied. "Sly, what's in the room next to the office with the bomb?"

"Store room," replied Sylvester, visualising the blueprints in his mind. "Do you think Florence is in there?" He clasped his hand to his mouth. "We need to get her out!"

"Too obvious," replied Walter.

"Oh… oh… oh dear," said Sylvester. All the colour drained from his face as he spoke. "There's an underground level. The administration building sits on the cooling tanks."

"Collins could be keeping Flo down there," said Cabe. "And if that bomb goes off…" he didn't need to complete his sentence, everyone knew what the consequences could be.

"I have to stop that device going off," said Walter. He produced a small case from his pocket and opened it, removing a tiny earpiece and slipping it into his ear before handing the case to Cabe. "Comms in everyone," he said and he started running back towards the door they'd escaped from.

"Walter! No!" screamed Paige. "Please!"

Walter stopped in his tracks and spun round to face her. "I have to," he said. "Or Florence might die."

Paige wanted to respond with a logical reason why Walter shouldn't run back towards the bomb. Even just saying it in her mind it sounded like the dumbest idea ever. Who runs back towards a bomb? Walter O'Brien, that's who, she realised. Especially when lives are at stake… even _hers._ Paige's head was screaming at her to say something, but she couldn't. She just stood there with her mouth open. Of course Walter completely misunderstood her silence.

Walter's face fell. "I… I can't believe… after everything we've talked about over the last few days," he said, disappointment hanging in his words.

"What? No!" replied Paige, suddenly finding her voice. "I… I didn't meant that I wanted… no, Walter, of course I don't want Florence to die."

"Walt, no-one wants that," added Toby in her defence. "We're all really anxious, everyone's emotions are all over the place right now. It causes…"

"I don't want to hear excuses," snapped Walter and without saying another word he continued running towards the building.

"I'm coming with you!" called Happy and she raced after him. "You need me on this."

"Walter! Please don't do go!" begged Paige. She started to run after them, but Toby held her back.

"Listen to me," he urged. "Paige, listen. He'll calm down when this is all over. He'll understand."

Tears were rolling down Paige's cheeks now. "But what if… what if he doesn't come back?" she sobbed.

Toby took a deep breath. "The love of my life has gone in there too, y'know," he pointed out.

"Oh… oh, Toby, I… I didn't think," she replied, covering her mouth with her hand.

"It's OK," Toby assured her. "But I trust Walt to have Happy's back and I trust her to have Walter's back. They're going to be fine, Paige."

Paige swallowed hard. "I can't lose him, not now, Toby. I can't!"

Toby pulled her into a hug. "You won't," he whispered, clinging to his own reassurances and forcing himself not to think about the possible consequences. "You won't."

 _To be continued..._


	14. Chapter 14 - Face to Face

_**Sorry I've kept you all waiting so long for this chapter, I've been so busy over the summer! I hope I can get back to weekly-ish updates again now. Thank you all for your support and encouraging reviews, I hope this chapter has been worth the wait!**_

 **-Walter and Happy race to diffuse the bomb, then the team finally come face to face with Mark Collins.-**

 **CHAPTER 14**

"So which is it, red or black?"

Walter looked at Happy with a puzzled frown. "I don't understand the question," he admitted.

They were both on their backs staring up at the bomb which was fixed under the chair Patty had been sitting on only minutes earlier. The timer was down to twelve minutes and fifteen seconds and they'd already delicately removed the outer casing of the device. Inside there were several wires connected to two packs of explosives with a rudimentary, but effective trigger device connected to a pressure pad hidden on the seat of the chair and attached to the timer

"Come on, O'Brien," replied Happy, momentarily lowering the bright torch she was holding. "Don't tell me you've never seen any of those movies? Y'know, there's a bomb on a yacht, or a plane and Tom Cruise only has five seconds to decide whether to cut the red wire or the black wire and of course he always makes the right choice just in time for the countdown to stop at one second."

"That's completely ridiculous."

"Someone should tell Hollywood," noted Happy.

"Apart from randomly cutting wires and relying on chance, do you have any solid ideas?" asked Walter.

Happy peered at the connections. "It's smart work," she admitted. "I guess Collins can add bomb making to his resume too now."

"Do you think we should attempt to detach it from the chair?" Walter pondered.

"Can't see any obvious motion sensors, but I don't think we should take the chance," replied Happy, squinting at the connections.

Suddenly Toby's voice came over their comms. "Definitely don't take any chances!"

"Don't worry, husband," replied Happy. "I'm not an idiot."

"Not you I'm worried about, Honeybunch!"

Walter glared at Happy as if she was somehow responsible for Toby's comment. "If we need any additional input we'll ask for it," he snapped.

Then it was Paige's voice in their ears. "Just be careful... please."

Walter closed his eyes for a moment. The sound of her voice was enough to distract him from even the most serious of situations. To calm him.

 _My mind can rest, my thoughts can nest..._

"Walt!" This time it was Happy's voice. "Comms out."

Walter's eyes snapped open and he removed his earpiece as Happy did the same. "We really don't have time for a conversation," he pointed out, glancing at the timer which was now down to ten minutes and eighteen seconds.

"This won't take long," replied Happy. "If you just shut up and listen to me. You know Paige doesn't want Flo dead."

"I know, I know..."

"I said shut up!" Happy glared at him. "She doesn't want anyone dead. She wants us all to get our asses out of here in one piece so we can get back to normal."

"Normal?"

Happy sighed. "You know what I mean. Our kind of normal. Scorpion normal. We need to be together."

Walter nodded slowly. "I... I want that too," he admitted in a low voice. "I... I need..."

"OK, enough talking," said Happy as she replaced the tiny comm device in her ear. "Pass me those snips."

Outside, Cabe was the only one still on his feet, the others were sitting in the shady patch sipping water in a desperate attempt to keep cool.

"Sit down, Cabe," ordered Toby. "Before you fall down."

Cabe glared at him. "You think I can relax while our people are in danger?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh yeah, like we're just sitting here relaxing," retorted Toby. He got to his feet and joined Cabe in the blistering heat of the Egyptian sun. Almost instantly sweat began to bead at his temples.

Cabe turned to look at him. "I'm OK, Doc," he insisted. "I did two tours of the Middle East, remember. This heat is nothing."

Then Happy's voice came over the comms. "Hey, Roomie, listen to my husband. He knows what he's talking about, even if he is a jerk."

"How's it going in there, kid?" asked Cabe, pressing his finger to his ear.

"Almost done," she replied. "I just gotta... oh hell... not good..."

"What is it?" asked Toby urgently. "What happened?"

"Collins is a bastard!" exclaimed Happy. "Move your ass, O'Brien!"

Now everyone was on their feet and within seconds the door flew open and Walter and Happy came racing out.

"Run!" yelled Walter and they all followed his instructions. They hadn't got far when the explosion rocked the ground, shattering windows and sending rubble flying in all directions.

Happy flung herself on top of Toby, knocking him to the sandy floor and Walter grabbed Paige, shielding her with his body as debris rained down on top of them. Sylvester pushed Patty against the wall of the other building to protect her from the blast while Cabe scooped Ralph into his arms and ran as far away from the danger as he could.

In a split second there was silence again. The first sound Walter heard was Happy coughing as the dust settled around them. He scrambled to his feet. "Paige!" he said urgently, rolling her onto her back.

"I'm OK," she replied. She reached out and took Walter's outstretched hands and he hauled her to her feet.

Suddenly, before she even knew what was happening, Walter smashed his lips against hers. Paige staggered back, but he wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her close to him as he kissed her. His other hand caressed the back of her head with an intensity Paige had never experienced before. The rush of emotion she felt at his touch almost overwhelmed her. She leaned in, wanting... needing... him. Everything he could give her.

Then, almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Walter broke away from her lips, but stayed dangerously close. Paige wanted to say something... anything... but there were no words to convey how she felt.

Walter swallowed hard. "I'm sorry..." he whispered. "For everything..."

Paige closed her eyes. "So am I..." she replied. Then her eyes snapped open and she spun round, her eyes wide with fear. "Ralph!"

"I'm fine, Mom," replied the young genius, dusting himself off as Cabe straightened his jacket.

"Sly? Toby?" Walter surveyed his surroundings, slightly stunned that he'd not even thought to check on the others since the explosion, but his mind had been all consumed – not for the first time – with thoughts of Paige. "Patty?" he added, urgently.

"We're good," came Sylvester's shaky reply.

"Just peachy, Walt," replied Toby. He turned to Happy. She'd protected _him_. She'd risked _her_ life for his. His heart was pounding... "I love you..." he breathed.

Happy wrapped her arms around his neck and for a moment allowed herself to get lost in him. "I love you too..."

The moment was broken by Cabe. "What the hell happened?" he asked as the group gathered in the shade of the only building that was still in one piece.

"There was a hair trigger," replied Walter, glancing briefly at Paige.

"I should've seen it," added Happy. She turned and angrily slammed her hand into the wall. "I should've seen it!"

Toby gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey," he said softly. "It's not your fault."

"At least we know Collins' plan now," said Paige, clutching Ralph tightly to her. "He's trying to kill us."

"No," replied Walter, shaking his head. "He still gave us enough time to escape after it activated."

"Walt's right," agreed Toby. "This is just another sick game. Right now he's laughing at us."

"He won't be laughing when I get hold of him," said Cabe in a low voice and his hand wandered to his gun.

"W...w...what about Florence?" said Sylvester and he could feel his chest tightening again. "Was she in there?"

Before anyone could answer a sound distracted them. They all looked up to the sky as the distinctive noise of an approaching helicopter filled the air.

Cabe drew his weapon and aimed it at the dark shape in the sky as it came into view, casting a shadow on the bomb-damaged building. He'd told Paige when they'd arrived that he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if he had to and now, at the prospect of facing Collins again, Cabe was certain he had meant what he'd said. He wasn't about to allow Collins to hurt his family again. Cabe squinted and tightened his grip as the aircraft landed, the rotors blowing sand everywhere as they slowed. He knew he had to stay in control, he wasn't about to allow Collins to manipulate him again.

Everyone stepped backwards, protecting their eyes as best they could from the harsh particles in the air. Toby slipped his hand into Happy's and she squeezed it tightly. Paige pulled Ralph close and wrapped her arms around him. Sylvester threw his arm around Patty's shoulder.

Walter held his breath as if by doing so he could somehow freeze time and prevent the moment he had been dreading for months. Mark Collins had once been his greatest friend – or so he had thought, but now he was his greatest enemy. Walter couldn't help but blame himself for not preventing all the damage – all the pain - his nemesis had done to everyone he cared about over the years.

The door of the helicopter opened and Mark Collins climbed out, ducking under the still spinning rotors and grinning at the assembled crowd. As soon as it was safe to do so he stood up tall, stretching himself to his full height and spreading his arms wide.

"A welcoming party!" he exclaimed. "You shouldn't have." Then he noticed Cabe and his grin faded. "Oh, Cabe, I'm disappointed," he said. "You think you can solve everything with a gun. You haven't even heard what I have to say yet."

"I don't care," retorted Cabe, steadying his aim with his other hand.

"Hey, why all the serious faces?" asked Collins, looking around the group. "I'm unarmed, Cabe, so you can put your little toy away. We're just having a little fun! Come on, Tobias, help me out here! You always used to be more fun... at least you were when you were drunk."

"Do you really think your dumb comments are gonna get a reaction out of me?" retorted Toby.

Collins shrugged. "Even the great joker of Scorpion has lost his sense of humour, things must be bad," he replied. "Still sulking because you can't impregnate your wife?"

Happy squeezed her husband's hand tightly and he squeezed back. She had no idea how Collins knew such personal information about them and she knew it was taking every ounce of Toby's self-control not to punch Collins in the face – because right now she had exactly the same urge - but they both knew that was exactly the reaction the sociopath wanted.

Collins took a few tentative steps towards the group. "And when did you get so glum, Walter? I guess that's what happens when the love of your life finds out that you cheated on her."

"I did not..." began Walter, but he stopped himself from saying anything else. The last thing he wanted was to get into an argument with Collins about his personal life.

Collins laughed. "I'm sorry, I guess you don't want to talk about that," he said. Then his brow furrowed into a frown and he looked around. "Where is the other woman, anyway?" he asked.

"Florence had nothing to do with..." began Sylvester, but he realised he didn't need to defend Florence from anyone, least of all Mark Collins. "We haven't found her yet," he said.

"You haven't?" Collins replied in surprise. He glanced at his watch and Ralph and Walter exchanged a glance, both acknowledging there was some kind of time limit involved in finding Florence. Another bomb, perhaps? Neither of them really believed he would repeat the same trick twice, so it had to be something else.

"OK, we give up," said Ralph, suddenly. "You win."

"Ralph!" exclaimed Paige, staring in disbelief at her son.

Ralph was not about to be deterred, not even by his mother. "If this is a game, Mr Collins, then you've won, so now you can tell us what you've done with Florence. Patty said you helped her when she hit her head, so I don't believe you want any harm to come to Florence either."

"Although after that he tied me to a chair with a bomb under it," noted Patty.

"True," replied Ralph. "But it was necessary to get us all here where he wanted us."

Collins threw his head back and laughed. "Good god, you are so much like him!" he exclaimed. "Whoever would've thought Walter O'Brien would wind up nurturing a child prodigy?" Then he turned to Paige, an intense expression on his face that startled her so much she gasped. "Do you really want to raise another Walter now that you know what he's capable of? How much hurt his genius mind can cause?" he asked, his voice tinged with menace.

"Where is Florence?" asked Paige, determined to keep her voice steady. Determined not to allow Collins to play any more tricks on her mind. "Or was my son wrong? Because if you hurt her, I'll…"

"You'll what, exactly?" Collins interrupted. "Because I'd be doing you a favour, wouldn't I? Removing the competition, I mean?"

Paige wanted to scream at him, let him – and the world – know that Florence Tipton was no competition for her, but she couldn't force any sound from her lips. For a moment she couldn't do anything at all except breathe as she desperately tried to fight off the feeling that her world was collapsing around her.

"Oh, relax, please," insisted Collins, waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "Like I told you, this is all meant to be little bit of fun. I don't want anyone hurt. Despite what Tobias here may have told you, I do follow a moral code."

"So does the mafia," noted Happy dryly.

"I'll ignore that," retorted Collins. "OK, I suppose I could give you a clue," he continued. "You've all been so busy lately with your emotional dumpster fires that you've let your intellect turn to mush. A combined IQ of over a thousand and you can't find one tiny, extremely irritating, strange pixie woman in an old sewage plant? Not the Scorpion I used to know."

Sylvester's breath hitched as anger threatened to overwhelm him. Hearing Collins insult Florence made him feel a surge of feelings he hadn't expected and all the uncertainty about how he really felt about her came crashing back into his head. He tensed every muscle in his body and then realised he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to show his vulnerable side in front of Collins, but he was starting to feel lightheaded.

"Breathe, pal."

It was Toby's voice. Low and steady and soothing. Sylvester clung onto the sound. He had no idea how Toby could change from being the most irritating man on the planet to the most calming, but he could, in the blink of an eye and it worked every time.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

Walter stepped forward, realising he had to be the one to confront Collins. He was still the leader of this group, despite the fragile state of their current status as a team. "Just tell us where Florence is, Mark," he demanded.

"Ooh, is that how you talk to people now?" asked Collins. "But then you were never one for niceties were you," he added. "Direct and to the point, that's the Walter O'Brien I know."

Walter clenched his fists at his sides and glanced at Cabe. The older man still had his gun aimed squarely at Collins' head. Part of him wanted Cabe to pull the trigger, to finish this once and for all, to end the nightmare of constantly wondering what Collins was going to do next. If he was out of their lives for good Walter felt certain he could rebuild his relationship with the team – with his family – and maybe with Paige too. Everything would be easier with Collins dead. But something inside Walter was telling him there was a better way to deal with him. Was this his conscience talking to him, he wondered? But that was a ridiculous concept… wasn't it?

"Put the gun down, Cabe," said Walter, without taking his eyes off Collins.

Cabe hesitated before answering. "I don't think that's a good idea, son," he replied eventually.

"Please, Cabe," begged Walter. "This isn't how we do things. This isn't how I want this to end."

Slowly, Cabe lowered his weapon to his side, but his military training meant he was still on full alert. He understood Walter's intentions, but Collins was an unknown. He was unpredictable and dangerous and Cabe was prepared to go against Walter's wishes – to risk their relationship if necessary – if he had to. He would protect everyone, whatever the cost.

"Thank you, Walter," said Collins and a strange smile crossed his lips.

If it had been anyone else, Paige would have thought it was a genuine smile. A warm smile, even. But this was the man who had repeatedly lied to Toby with great success and Paige knew there was no possible way she could really tell what he was thinking. She glanced at Toby, hoping desperately that this time he might be able to see through whatever smokescreen Collins was putting up, but the behaviourist appeared to be none the wiser.

"I have no idea why you're doing all this, Mark," began Walter. "But I just want to know that Florence is safe and then you and I can sit down and talk. Your argument has always been with me - not Cabe, or Toby, or Paige, or anyone else - just you and me. So let's end this nonsense now, let them go home and I'll go with you, I'll do whatever you want."

"Walter, no!" exclaimed Paige and she took a step closer to Walter, but Walter held his hand out to stop her.

Collins sighed and his shoulders slumped in a display of apparent despondency, although there was no way any of the team could tell if that was a genuine show of emotion any more than the earlier smile. "Oh, Walter," he said. "You really don't understand, do you?"

Walter wasn't sure if he was expecting a reply, or not, so he said nothing.

"You… you said you'd give us a clue," said Sylvester suddenly. "To… to find Florence," he added.

Collins shrugged. "OK, OK," he replied. "It looks like I'm not going to get anywhere until you find the chemist. Here's the clue – think Einstein."

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Collins turned and ran back towards the helicopter.

"What does that mean?" called Sylvester as he leapt into the aircraft. "You can't leave! That's not a clue!" He looked desperately at Walter. "Tell him that's not a clue!" he begged, but Walter was silent as the helicopter lifted slowly into the air and Mark Collins disappeared into the distance.

Cabe was the first one to break the silence. "What the hell do we do now?" he asked.

Walter let out a slow breath. He was still staring into the sky as the last of the sand settled around him. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "I honestly have no idea."

 _To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 15 - Einstein A Go Go

**As they desperately try to solve the clue left by Mark Collins, things start to take a physical and mental toll on the the team.**

 ** _Thank you to everyone who has left a review so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

 **CHAPTER 15.**

"What do we know about Albert Einstein? Let's brainstorm."

Walter paced up and down as he spoke, but no one else had the energy to move.

"Great idea! I'll get the flipchart."

Walter scowled at Toby. "I doubt Florence would appreciate your facetious comments while she's still missing," he said.

The team had moved out of the hot sun and into the main building. The room they were in appeared to be a large storeroom which was now empty with the exception of three rusty metal shelving units and a few empty boxes. The explosion had destroyed a sizeable section of the office building and taken out the power, but the utilities in the main building were still functioning and the air conditioning was a welcome relief to everyone.

"Just shout out ideas," prompted Cabe, keen to diffuse the brewing argument.

"Well Einstein's IQ was only one sixty," said Walter.

"Was it? You've never told us that before," retorted Toby.

Happy elbowed him in the ribs, eliciting a yelp from her husband. "Cool it, Doc," she hissed. Collins' appearance had rattled them all and now Toby was taking out his frustrations on Walter and, like Cabe, Happy could see how badly this might end if he didn't stop it.

"He played the violin," said Sylvester. "And he won the Nobel prize in 1921."

"How is any of this dumb trivia supposed to help us find Flo?" asked Cabe. He was frustrated at the lack of progress and, considering the hours that had passed since their arrival, he was very worried about Florence.

"Mark said to find her we have to think about Einstein," replied Walter. "There must be a clue in all this somewhere."

"No," said Ralph suddenly, stepping forward. "He didn't say to think _about_ Einstein, he just said think Einstein. Maybe he meant we should be thinking _like_ Einstein?"

Walter's eyes widened. "Of course!" he exclaimed and he smiled proudly at Ralph.

"Well you're geniuses, don't you already think like him?" asked Cabe. "When I hear the name Albert Einstein I guess I think of crazy hair and the Theory of Relativity. E-equals-M-C-squared, right?"

"That's not the Theory of Relativity," responded Walter, flatly.

"What? Of course it is," replied Cabe, folding his arms across his chest defiantly. "I know I went to school in the dark ages…" he began, scowling at Toby, "but I remember that much."

"Either your physics teacher was an idiot, or your memory has failed you," asserted Walter. "For one thing there are two theories of relativity – the General Theory and the Special Theory."

"And anyway, E-equals-M-C-squared is an equation, not a theory," Sylvester pointed out.

"It's a common mistake," said Ralph, trying to make him feel better.

As Walter, Happy, Toby and Sylvester continued to discuss Einstein's work, Ralph suddenly realised his mother hadn't said a word. He turned round to find Paige sitting in silence with her back against the wall. Patty was next to her, with her head resting on Paige's shoulder. Ralph walked over to join them.

"Mom? Patty?" he said. "You guys OK?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart," replied Paige with a smile. She wasn't fine at all, but she was determined not to let Ralph see how she really felt. She was exhausted and scared and confused. Kissing Walter had stirred up so much emotion inside her and she really needed to get away from all the noise and commotion so she could think. She desperately needed to be alone for a while, but she knew that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. She glanced at Patty and then back to Ralph. "She must be exhausted," she said as Patty's eyes started to drift shut.

Ralph frowned slightly. "Hmmm," he responded, but his attention was now fully on Patty who had slumped even further down against Paige. "Patty?" he said. Then more urgently. "Patty?"

Ralph shook her shoulder and Patty opened her eyes and blinked deeply. She swallowed hard. "Tired," she breathed and then she slumped forward.

"Patty!" exclaimed Ralph. He knew she wasn't just tired, something was wrong. He shook her shoulder again, but this time there was no response.

The urgency in her son's voice snapped Paige out of her thoughts and she immediately realised Patty was a dead weight against her shoulder. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Toby! Quickly!"

The rest of the team immediately fell silent and spun round at the sound of Paige's urgent cry.

Toby ran across the room. "Ralph, move!" he ordered and Ralph scrambled out of the way, allowing Toby to drop to his knees beside Patty. He quickly checked her pulse, then gently prised open her eyelids in turn with his thumbs and was relieved to see some reaction from her pupils.

Ralph held his breath. Patty had spurned his advances only a few weeks ago, but he still had teenage feelings for her and more than that he still considered her a friend. He glanced up at Sylvester who was desperately trying to stay in control of his breathing and a swell of anger towards Mark Collins surged inside him. His family had been torn apart and he understood that Walter and his mom carried a significant amount of the blame for that, but Collins had brought them all out here and dragged Patty into the mess and now she might be badly hurt. Ralph suddenly wished he was ten years older because next time he saw Collins he wasn't going to let him get away with what he'd done. He closed his eyes, realising that Sylvester, Walter and the whole team were probably feeling exactly the same way right now.

"Help me get her onto the floor," said Toby and between them he and Paige carefully manoeuvred Patty onto the cold, hard surface, all the while calling her name. Almost as soon as she was in the recovery position, Patty opened her eyes. "Hey," said Toby gently. Patty tried to turn herself onto her back, but Toby placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Just stay there," he urged. "You're OK, you blacked out for a few seconds, that's all. You'll be fine." He held out one hand. "Sly, water."

Sylvester quickly pulled out a bottle of water from his back and handed it to Toby who unscrewed the lid and held it to Patty lips, cradling her head in his other hand so she could take a sip.

Then suddenly, without saying a word, Sylvester ran towards the door.

"Sly!" Cabe called after him, but the younger man didn't stop. The others looked at each other, not sure what to do as the door slammed behind him.

"Hap, you'd better go after him," said Toby, briefly glancing up at his wife before turning his attention back to Patty.

"Me?" queried Happy. "But… but you know I can't…"

"I'll go," said Walter and before anyone had the chance to stop him he ran after Sylvester.

He found him outside, sitting on the floor with his eyes firmly closed. Sweat was already running down his face as he panted for breath.

Walter crouched beside him. He had so many things he wanted to say to his younger friend – his brother – but he didn't know where to start. He was used to Sylvester's anxiety, but seeing how bad it had got in the weeks since the break-up of Scorpion was almost unbearable. Walter lightly touched his shoulder and Sylvester nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Walter!"

"Sorry, Sly," replied Walter, apologetically. "I… I didn't meant to… anyway, you should try to breathe slowly. Hyperventilating causes a build-up of …" but he trailed off. Sylvester didn't need a science lecture, he realised, he just needed his support. "You're OK," he said in his most reassuring voice.

Sylvester nodded and fought hard to get his breathing under control.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

Seeing Patty unconscious on the floor had been terrifying, but seeing her come round had triggered this attack and Sylvester couldn't really explain why.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Is… is Patty…?"

"She seems fine," Walter explained. "T…Toby's taking good care of her. I suspect she's just a little dehydrated. We all are."

"Kinda hard to… think about… drinking water when…" Sylvester began, but gave up trying to speak with a frustrated grunt.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"I know," agreed Walter. He paused, watching Sylvester's chest heave. "We will find her," he added eventually. "Florence," he clarified, as if for some reason Sylvester would need that point clarifying.

Sylvester nodded slowly. They'd beaten worse odds than this before and he trusted the team – but were they a team? Finding Florence was the easy part compared to rebuilding Scorpion, rebuilding what they'd thrown away. He looked at Walter with a face that conveyed a thousand words.

"Sly, when this is… is over, I p…promise we'll fix everything," said Walter. As the words left his lips a wave of panic threatened to overwhelm him – what if this wasn't fixable?

"Walter, I… I want to change," began Sylvester. "I don't… want to… be the baby anymore."

Walter swallowed hard. His harsh words to Sylvester on that horrible day had come from a place of anger and pain. Walter had lashed out and he would forever regret what he'd said to him. "You know I… I didn't mean what I said that day," he replied. "You're not a baby."

Hadn't they already gone over this at the garage before they'd raced out here to Egypt? Walter suddenly realised how fragile their reunion was. His mind had been focussed on Paige this whole time, but the team – his family – was just as important. Perhaps more so. They needed to be together, they needed each other. He needed Paige, but he needed this too, this was different.

Walter remembered back to the first time he'd met Sylvester. He'd made so much progress since that day – much more than Walter had made himself, he acknowledged – and now, because of his harsh words, Sylvester had seemingly slipped so far back Walter wondered if he would ever fully recover.

"Can we… can we talk about… this later?" asked Sylvester.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

Walter nodded and grasped Sylvester's forearms. "Breathe," he urged. "I'm here for you. I… I always will be."

Sylvester's face lit up at his words. "Thank…you."

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"How did w…we end up like this?" asked Walter. He didn't mean to sound so melancholy, but it was an accurate portrayal of how he was feeling.

Sylvester shrugged. "I can't believe… it all fell apart… the way it did."

Walter shook his head. He couldn't believe it either. They'd been a team for so long and for it to end the way it did, so suddenly… "I thought Scorpion w…would always be there, a… a constant in my life," he said with a sigh.

Then suddenly Walter leapt up from the floor.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed a startled Sylvester by the hands, hauling him to his feet. "I think I know where to look for Florence."

They raced back inside and to their relief Patty was sitting up. She was sipping water and taking small bites from an energy bar. Sylvester ran over to her and gave her a hug.

"Sorry I freaked you out," said Patty.

"Here," said Toby and he threw an energy bar at Sylvester and then another at Walter taking both of them by surprise. "Welcome to Chez Toby, dinner is served."

Cabe rolled his eyes as both bars clattered to the floor. "When we get home I'm gonna get the both of you back out on the baseball field," he said.

Sylvester smiled briefly, remembering the last time they'd played baseball and how that day had ended. It was one of his happiest memories and there was no way he would have envisaged their lives falling apart just a few short weeks later. He picked up the energy bar and threw it back to Toby, hitting him on the head. "Not hungry," he said.

Toby scowled at him and threw it back. "Don't care," he retorted. "Eat. Doctor's orders."

"Toby's correct, we need to eat," agreed Walter, ripping open the wrapper with his teeth. "We need our strength. I know where Florence is. Ralph… Ralph was right, we… we should be thinking like Einstein and we've already mentioned his m...most famous equation."

"E-equals-M-C-squared," said Cabe, but he had the feeling he would very soon be unable to keep up with the conversation.

"Right," agreed Walter. "Where E is…"

"Relativity," Cabe interrupted him, convinced he had the answer right.

Walter blinked deeply in disbelief and Sylvester, Happy, Toby and Ralph all shook their heads before replying, "Energy," in unison.

"Yes, energy," agreed Walter. "And M is…?

"Mass," chorused the other four geniuses.

"And C is the speed of light," added Happy impatiently. "We know all this, O'Brien. How exactly does it help us find Florence?"

"The speed of light is a constant," Walter began to explain. "Whereas mass and energy are variables, but Einstein's equation proves they are relative to each other."

"See? Relativity!" exclaimed Cabe. "Come on, Paige. Back me up here," he urged, glancing at Paige, but she shook her head. Cabe frowned. "Us non-geniuses need to stick together," he added with a small grin, but still Paige was silent.

Cabe glanced at Toby who gave a small nod of recognition. He had been worried about Paige ever since Patty's collapse and now Cabe was worried too.

"So," continued Walter. "Sly, how much does Florence weigh?"

"Um… um… why are you asking me?" asked Sylvester, flustered by his question.

"Because you are the most accurate when it comes to... to estimating such things," replied Walter with a frown. It hadn't occurred to him that Sylvester might be uncomfortable with the question.

"Oh, oh I see," nodded Sylvester. "Approximately one ten."

"One ten," repeated Walter. "Hold that thought, I'm going to need you to do some math. Happy, the AC units appear to be fully functioning all over the complex since Mark reactivated the power generator."

"Yeah," agreed Happy. "Far as I can tell. Where are you going with this?" Her face fell into a frown as she started to pick up on his train of thought.

Walter continued with his explanation, but Toby turned away. He had nothing to contribute to the developing theory, all he wanted was to locate Florence and get her home safely. He could hear Ralph joining in excitedly with Walter leaving Paige alone with her thoughts again. Toby walked over to her.

"Couch time?" he suggested with a wry smile as he squatted down beside her.

Paige looked at him and shrugged. "I don't think you'd find anything that makes much sense in my head right now," she replied. "But I'd kill for a couch, I'm exhausted. I can't go on like this."

"I think Walt is minutes away from dragging everyone out there again," Toby explained. "We'll stay back. Patty's in no shape to go running around just yet anyway."

"I hope this theory of his works out," replied Paige. "Florence has been missing for almost five hours. If Collins didn't leave food and water, or if she's hurt…" She trailed off, they both knew how the sentence ended and they didn't want to think about it.

"Let's go!" said Walter suddenly and Sylvester, Cabe, Happy and Ralph began gathering up their bags.

"I'm gonna hang back here with Patty," said Toby. "I just want to keep an eye on her for a little longer. And Paige too, they both need to rest."

"P…Paige?" repeated Walter with concern.

"I'm OK, just tired," replied Paige, dismissively.

"Then you… you can take care of Patty," responded Walter. "Florence could be injured, you can't stay here, Toby."

"I'll be on comms," replied Toby, tapping the tiny device in his ear with his forefinger. "And this is a sewage plant, not a city. I won't be far away if you need me."

"Maybe Toby's right?" offered Sylvester as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Patty might need further medical attention."

"I'm staying too," said Ralph, suddenly. He looked at Toby with pleading eyes. He didn't want to leave either his Mom, or Patty.

Toby understood and winked at him. They all forgot sometimes that Ralph was still only a child. Usually Paige had his back in this kind of situation, but Paige was too tired and struggling with everything that was going on to have realised that Ralph needed her. "Child geniuses need to rest too, Walt," said Toby.

Walter sighed, resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get his own way this time. "Alright, alright," he said. "If F…Florence is in one of the underground silos like I think she is, then… then we need to locate her and… and get her out as soon as we can. Sly, Cabe and Happy you're with me. Toby, Paige, Ralph and Patty can stay here."

"So it's a fifty-fifty split, that's better than last time," Toby pointed out facetiously.

Walter ignored his comment and within minutes half the team were on their way to the other end of the complex. As soon as they were gone, Ralph spoke to Toby. "Thanks for sticking up for me," he said. They were out of earshot of Paige and Patty – who were both trying their best to relax – but he still kept his voice low.

Toby grinned. "Well I didn't want to be outnumbered by women," he said. "And y'know, I need you to do something for me. Patty's being brave, but she's been through hell today. Can you talk to her, ask her how she's doing?"

"I can't talk to her, Toby!" exclaimed Ralph. "It's too weird."

"Sorry to break it to you, Ralphy-boy, but talking to girls is gonna be weird forever," replied Toby. "I need to talk to your mom."

Ralph sighed. "OK," he said. He cleared his throat before walking over to join Patty. She smiled as he approached and "Hey," he said. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," she replied as Ralph sat down beside her.

"I… er, I guess getting kidnapped is kinda… tough," said Ralph, desperately trying to think of what to say to her.

"Kinda," acknowledged Patty with a sardonic expression. "I know you told me about Collins before, but he wasn't how I imagined. He was… I don't know… nicer, I guess. I don't know how else to explain it?"

"So nice he kidnapped you and tied you to a bomb," noted Ralph.

"Could've been worse," Patty pointed out. Then she went quiet, suddenly aware of how lucky she was to still be alive. She shivered as a whole host of unpleasant thoughts cascaded through her mind.

Without hesitation, Ralph threw his arm around her shoulders. "You're safe now," he insisted. "I won't let anything happen to you… I mean, _we_ won't. The team."

Patty smiled at him. "That's so sweet, Ralph," she said. "Thank you."

Ralph smiled back and a warm, fuzzy feeling washed over him. _She said I was sweet…_

Toby watched the exchange with a smile on his lips.

Paige was watching them too and she caught Toby's eye. "Maybe I should have encouraged that relationship after all?" she said with a tiny laugh.

"Maybe," agreed Toby. "Talking of relationships…" He slipped the comm device out of his ear and Paige did the same.

"Don't make me talk about Walter," she begged. "I can't…"

"That kiss though," noted Toby. "That was one hundred per cent pure passion. If you were in any doubt about his love for you, you shouldn't be now."

"I went crazy that day because I found out he lied to me," began Paige. "But I lied to him too. When he was buried in sand I told him I didn't care about whatever he was keeping from me. I told him we'd be OK, but…"

"Paige, you had no idea how you were going to react," replied Toby. "Going over and over all this isn't helping. You and Walt are trying to move on, you gotta let it go."

"How can I?" she asked him. "What if I can never trust him again? What if he can't trust me now? After what I did… what I said…"

"That's one of the things you guys need to work through together," said Toby. "And I really believe you can work through it all. I know you want to and if that kiss is anything to go by Walter wants it too. He wants you back, Paige."

Paige bit hard on her lower lip. She wanted Walter back too, more than anything. "I just wish we weren't stuck here on this crazy mission," she said with a sigh. "I need to clear my head and I can't, not here, not now, at least not until Collins is safely back under lock and key."

"Forget lock and key," replied Toby. "I want him under the highest level of security available and then double that. No, triple it."

"He scares you, doesn't he," she noted sympathetically.

"Like you wouldn't believe," agreed Toby in a quiet voice. "I can't read him. At least I can't trust what I'm reading from him and no one else has ever been able to do that."

"Mom! Toby! Put your comms back in!" Ralph came running across the room. "They've found her already! They've found Florence!"

Toby quickly pushed the tiny device back into his ear. "Walt? Is she OK? Is Florence OK?"

There was a moment of silence before Walter's voice came back. "I… I don't know."

 _To be continued..._


	16. Chapter 16 - Declarations

**_The team battle to save Florence._**

 **Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, please don't forget to leave a review! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **CHAPTER 16.**

"Where is she?"

Toby and Ralph quickly reached the path around the back of the main building where Cabe, Walter, Sylvester and Happy had gathered. Paige and Patty were a little way behind. Toby had ordered them to stay inside, but they'd both refused. Toby wasn't sure if he was more worried about Patty passing out again, or about how Paige might react when she saw Florence, but he knew he couldn't force them into staying behind.

"Down there," answered Walter, pointing at a small metal grate in the middle of the concrete path.

Toby and Ralph knelt beside him as he lifted the grating and they all peered into the hole in the ground. The tiny shaft of daylight barely lit the space below, but they could see Florence lying motionless about thirty five feet beneath them in a huge empty space.

"We've been calling her name," explained Sylvester. "She... she hasn't moved."

 _Breathe in… and out… and hold…_

Toby glanced seriously at Walter. They both knew how bad this could be.

Ralph pulled his phone from his pocket and switched it on.

"I don't think you'll find a Pokemon here, pal," noted Toby.

"I'm setting it to emit a tone at a frequency that should stimulate Florence's RAS," Ralph explained.

Walter smiled proudly. "Ralph, you're a genius," he said and he ran over to a pile of debris that had been dumped behind the building hoping to find something that might be of use in the rescue operation.

"I know," Ralph responded calmly as he continued to adjust the settings on his phone.

"What the hell is an RAS?" asked Cabe, slipping his jacket from his shoulders as he finally gave into the heat.

"Reticular activating system," explained Toby. "It's a network of neurons in the brain stem that… well, let's just say a loud enough noise should fire a message to her cerebral cortex and we'll be able to determine her level of consciousness."

"If she doesn't respond at all we could be looking at serious neurological trauma," added Ralph, bluntly.

Paige shuddered. Ralph's unemotional tone reminded her so much of Walter, but she knew her son was just having difficulty processing the prospect of Florence being badly hurt. They all were. If she had been in a better frame of mind she would have said something encouraging, something to get the geniuses to focus on the rescue like she had done so many times before, but right now she was barely able to focus her own thoughts.

"Oh no," whispered Sylvester. "Please, no…"

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Speculation is inefficient at this juncture," said Walter as he re-joined the others. He'd found two large reels of electrical cable discarded amongst the rubbish and he began attaching Ralph's phone to the end of one.

"I agree with Walter," added Cabe. "Let's try to keep our heads clear and get Flo outta there ASAP." He glanced at Paige, but all she could offer him was a weak smile.

Happy tied the other end of the cable around herself for security and Walter slowly lowered the phone down the chute towards Florence. Toby lay flat on his stomach to get the best possible view of her reactions. Almost as soon as the phone began emitting the noise Ralph had programmed, Florence stirred.

"She's alive," announced Walter and the group let out a collective sigh of relief. "Florence! Florence can you hear me?" The sound of his voice echoed around the empty chamber as he quickly retrieved Ralph's phone.

Florence moved her head a little and bent her left knee, before emitting a low moaning noise.

"Hey, Flo, don't try to move!" called Toby. "Can you open your eyes?"

Florence moved her head again, but this time it flopped back to the side.

"Flo!" called Toby. "Florence!" This time there was no reaction. Toby pushed himself to a kneeling position on the sandy floor. "She's in a lot of pain," he declared and he pressed is lips together. He had no idea of the extent of her injuries, but she was clearly in a bad way. "We can't even think about moving her until she's stabilised."

"Not good," noted Happy.

"The ambient temperature down there is around sixty eight degrees," began Walter. "There are vents linked to the AC, presumably to prevent the build up of gasses from the waste products."

"Like in Cabe's bathroom," quipped Toby.

"Shut up, Doc!" urged Cabe.

"Sorry, you know how I get when I'm nervous," replied Toby. "So can we get Florence out through one of the vents?" he asked, urgently. He was painfully aware of how long it had taken them to locate her and every extra minute could make all the difference.

"Way too small," replied Sylvester. "The only way in or out is through this chute. Do... do you think she's going to be OK, Toby?"

"I need to get down there," replied Toby. He wasn't about to speculate on her condition, he didn't dare because every scenario he ran through his head ended… badly.

"You won't fit through that hole," Walter explained as Toby got to his feet.

"None of us will," added Sylvester, squinting in the sunlight.

"That's not strictly true," added Walter. "There is one person…"

"I'll do it." Ralph stood tall as he interrupted Walter.

"No!" Paige had been quiet up until now, but she stepped forward and put a protective arm around her son's shoulders as she spoke. "You're not sending him down there. You can't!"

"It's the only way to save Florence," Ralph responded. "We have to get her out of there, she's in pain, Mom."

"I… I know that and I want to help her, I really do," began Paige. She glanced up at Walter, hoping he would understand that this was not about Florence, it was about not putting her son in danger. "But I can't let you do this. I won't risk you getting hurt, Ralph."

"I won't get hurt, Mom," insisted Ralph. "It's my decision."

"Paige, I need eyes and ears on Florence," insisted Toby as he started to unpack medical equipment from his bag. "If there was another way…"

"There isn't," insisted Walter. "Happy, see what you can find in that junk pile to… to make a harness for Ralph. And we'll need to construct a…a stretcher to extract Florence. You may have to search the building. Cabe, go with her."

"Walter!" exclaimed Paige as Happy ran off with Cabe in tow. "You don't get to go against my wishes on this!"

"I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to Ralph and… and I meant it," Walter responded, defiantly. He gingerly reached out and took Paige's hands in his. "He… he will be safe," he added, his voice a little softer now. "Florence needs our help, the whole team."

Paige nodded slowly and squeezed his fingers. "Are… are we really a team again?" she asked quietly. "I… I wasn't sure if…"

"Yes we are," insisted Walter. Then he released Paige from his grasp. "Sly, I need you to do some calculations, are you with me?"

Sylvester nodded slowly, grateful for something to occupy his mind. Mathematics was his happy place, his safe place. Thinking about Florence was anything but happy, or safe. His mind flashed back to that terrible day in the garage. He had made such a fool of himself…

"Sly!"

"Sorry, Walter," mumbled Sylvester.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"I'm ready, give me the numbers."

Paige stood back and watched as the geniuses sprang into action. This was just like it used to be.

Exactly how it should be.

Not for the first time she wondered how things had gone so badly wrong and if things would ever be the same again. Walter had hurt her and she had hurt Walter. Neither of them had meant for it to happen, but they had. There shouldn't be any way back, yet here they were. She needed him more than ever now, but did she dare to hope that he'd really take her back? She didn't know if she was strong enough to be in a relationship with Walter again, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to be without him either. A sudden wave of fear washed over her and she clenched her fists, desperate to fight it.

"Paige? You OK?"

It was Patty's voice. Paige could feel her hand resting gently on her shoulder and she tried to reassure Patty with a smile. From Patty's reaction it wasn't very reassuring.

"Do… do you need water?" asked Patty, offering her the half empty bottle she was clutching.

Paige took the bottle and gulped from it. The water was warm, but still refreshing enough and it soothed her dry throat… and her mind. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Um, look, I know this isn't anything to do with me," began Patty. "But… but Walter honestly thought he was doing the right thing. He was trying to protect your feelings."

Paige stared at her, angry at first that she would dare to offer her opinion on the mess that had driven them all apart, but her mood soon softened. "Sly told me you knew," she admitted. "About Florence and… and the lecture."

Patty nodded. "I kinda overheard the guys talking about it," she admitted. "I'm… I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have, I could've tried to explain it all to you, except… except I didn't really understand why Walter thought what he'd done was OK."

"Hey, none of this is your fault," insisted Paige. "And understanding Walter is my job… at least it was… it was supposed to be, anyway. I guess I failed."

"Having genius friends is… well, it's crazy and it can be complicated, but it's kinda cool," replied Patty, smiling. "Even though they do some really dumb things sometimes," she added.

Paige managed a tiny laugh. "They sure do," she agreed.

She glanced over to where Walter was helping Ralph into the harness Happy had constructed. Sylvester was double checking every knot and Toby was giving Ralph instructions on how to stay calm while he was being lowered down. She could see how each of the geniuses was looking out for her son, it was obvious just how much they all loved him. He needed them. They all needed to be together, that much was clear to her. She vowed that, whatever happened between her and Walter, she would never risk destroying Ralph's family again.

The harness had two lengths of electrical cable and Cabe tied one end around himself with Walter securing the other around his own waist and they took the strain as Ralph prepared to be lowered underground.

Toby glanced at Paige. "How does it feel to be Spiderman's mom?" he asked with a grin. When Paige didn't respond, he beckoned her over, but she shook her head.

"Don't worry about me, Mom," insisted Ralph and then, with a stoically determined look on his face, he disappeared into the silo.

Toby knelt down and calmly reassured him as he descended and within seconds Ralph was with Florence. He activated the light on his phone and quickly took in his surroundings. "There's a broken chair down here," he announced, pressing one finger to his ear to make sure his comm was working. "And a jug of water and some cookies," he added.

"I guess that's Collins' idea of hospitality," noted Happy.

"Ralphy, I'm sending down some equipment now," said Toby. "I need you to start by giving me her vitals. I'll talk you through it."

Paige wrapped her arms around herself as she watched the events unfold in front of her. She could hear Ralph's voice in her ear, rattling off Florence's pulse and blood pressure readings to Toby, but she couldn't bear to look at her son while he was down there and she fought to keep thoughts of what could go wrong from her mind. She knew they were irrational thoughts, he wasn't really in any obvious danger, but she couldn't help how she felt. The prospect of losing her son, no matter how remote, was beyond her ability to comprehend.

"That's good, Ralph," said Toby, encouragingly. "Is she still responding to aural stimuli?"

Sylvester held his breath as he waited for Ralph's reply. Florence had to be OK… she had to be. He had to talk to her, to explain. He needed her to understand… and he needed to understand her. Suddenly he heard a moaning sound in his ear. He could hear Ralph detailing her obvious injuries to Toby, but he couldn't take in the details. All that mattered was that she was alive.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Just talk to her, Ralph," urged Toby. He stood up for a moment. "Walt, we're looking at a broken wrist, dislocated knee and, if that bruising is anything to go by, at least three cracked ribs. Plus there could be internal injuries. Her BP is low, her body temperature's dropping and she's at risk of going into shock. I can talk Ralph through putting in an IV, but she'll need to be immobilised before we can move her. Even if Ralph can get her onto the fabulous stretcher my beautiful wife just made, the swinging motion as we bring her up could make things a whole lot worse."

"Then we'll float her out," came Ralph's voice.

"Um, Ralph," began Walter, with a puzzled frown. "Nice idea, but where are we going to get enough water from?"

"We're in the desert," Sylvester reminded him, wondering if the heat had affected the young genius's brain. "Not a lot of water around here."

"I know where we are," replied Ralph with more than a hint of frustration in his voice. "I didn't mean float her out on water. What are we surrounded by in the desert?"

Walter, Toby, Happy and Sylvester all looked at each other for a moment, before they reached the same conclusion at exactly the same moment. "Sand!" exclaimed Walter. "We'll float her out on sand!"

"It'll cushion her ascent, prevent any further injuries," added Toby, nodding in agreement.

"Good call, Ralph," grinned Happy.

"I'll calculate the volume of sand we'll need," added Sylvester.

"I'll figure out how to rig up a mechanical shovel of some kind," said Happy.

"They don't call you 'Ralph the Wonder Kid' for nothing!" said Toby.

"Umm… no-one's _ever_ called me that, Toby," responded Ralph through the comm.

"Wait a second," said Cabe. "Can one of you geniuses explain this plan? If we pour sand down into that silo, we'll bury Florence and Ralph."

"We're gonna get Ralph out first," Happy began. "Then we slowly pull Florence out on the stretcher, back-filling with sand the whole time so she's kinda floating on top of it."

"Like a cushion of air," added Walter.

"But it'll be sand," Toby clarified.

"Oh, I get it," nodded Cabe. "What can I do to help?"

Paige stood silently and watched as the plan fell into place. She listened as Toby helped Ralph prepare Florence for the rescue. "Keep the needle parallel to the vein," he instructed as the young genius set up the IV. Then, "Strap her legs to the stretcher, not too tight."

She was so proud of her son for keeping his cool under pressure, but she couldn't listen anymore and she slipped her comm device out of her ear and sat down hard on the ground, crossing her legs in front of her and closing her eyes.

This was the last place she wanted to be.

There was a spark of hope for her and Walter and she wanted to be alone with him, she was desperate to be alone with him. Instead they were stuck here, thousands of miles from home, rescuing Florence in typical Scorpion style.

Florence. The woman she'd accused Walter of having a 'cranial affair' with. What did that even mean? Her words that day had come from a dark place deep inside her, one she didn't even realise existed until that moment. She needed to try to explain it all to Walter. Even if they couldn't rekindle their romance, she had to make him understand why she'd reacted the way she had. And she had to work through it all. She knew she couldn't go on like this.

"Paige?"

Paige gasped at the sound of Walter's voice.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said apologetically. "Didn't you hear me? Is… is your comm malfunctioning?"

"Um, oh, n…no," stammered Paige. "I… I…" She opened her hand to reveal the tiny device.

Walter looked confused, but there was no time to ask for an explanation. "We're bringing Ralph out now," he explained.

Paige nodded.

"I thought you'd want to know," continued Walter.

Paige nodded again.

Walter expression changed from confusion to something far deeper and he removed his own comm device. "We… we'll get through this. I… I love you, Paige," he suddenly proclaimed. "I love what w…we had and… and I know we have things to… to work out, but… but… I want to be with you. And I'll never hurt you again… or… or Ralph. I promise."

Paige was stunned and tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I love you too," she replied, reaching out and taking his hands in hers. "And I'll never, ever hurt you again either," she added. "I'm really struggling, Walter, I've never experienced anything like this before, but… but I know the only way I can get through it all is with you. I don't know if you understand, but…"

"I understand." Without another word he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I understand," he repeated, softly.

Suddenly a noise tore them from their thoughts and they both turned to see the motorised shovelling device Happy had built using the engine from an old pump bursting into life. "Let's get this baby digging some sand!" she shouted over the noise.

Cabe had attached Happy's famous winch to the cables that were attached to the stretcher Florence was strapped to.

"We have to co-ordinate this precisely," said Walter, running back over.

"I'll shout the timings," replied Sylvester.

This time Paige joined them, her head still spinning with Walter's words. Her heart was pounding as she ran to Ralph, hugging him tightly. "You were so brave," she whispered.

"Not really, but thanks," replied Ralph, nonchalantly.

Slowly, they began to bring Florence out of her dungeon, the shovel backfilling sand at the perfect rate to make her ascent as smooth as possible. As soon as she emerged, Toby and Walter carefully manoeuvred her onto the ground and Sylvester picked up the bag of fluids so it would start to flow again, trying desperately to ignore the needle attached to the other end that Ralph had inserted into her arm.

Toby checked the pulse in her neck. "Florence, can you hear me?" he called, as he continued his examination. "Flo, hey, Flo. Come on, wakey-wakey."

Florence groaned and tried to open her eyes. "T…T…Toby?" she croaked.

"Poor kid probably thinks she's in purgatory," quipped Cabe.

"Ignore the grumpy old guy," said Toby, smiling reassuringly at Florence. "Listen," he added. "I know you're in pain, but you're safe." He quickly gave her a shot of morphine and almost instantly her contorted face began to relax.

"We have to get her to a hospital," said Sylvester.

"Sure, I'll call 911," Toby quipped.

Sylvester frowned at him, but before he could say anything the distinctive sound of a helicopter came into earshot.

"Collins," hissed Walter.

There was nothing anyone could do except watch as the helicopter came into view and landed a short distance away.

For the second time that day, Cabe drew his gun as Mark Collins got out of the aircraft.

"Oh, you found her," said Collins, striding over to join the group, seemingly unperturbed by having a loaded weapon aimed at him. "And just in time too," he added when he saw Florence. "She definitely didn't look like that when I left her. You should get her inside, this heat is unbearable." Then he turned to address Ralph. "Neat idea, kiddo," he said. "Using the sand, I mean. I like you, you're smart. You and I could make a great team, what do you say?"

"Never," hissed Ralph and Paige threw her arm protectively around his shoulders.

"You stay away from my son!" she exclaimed.

"Calm down, Paige," he responded in a patronising tone. "I'm not here for the boy."

"W…why are you here?" asked Walter. "Why are you doing this to us?"

Collins sighed. "Walter, I'm sorry," he announced.

Everyone stood in stunned silence. Collins was never sorry about anything.

"There, I've said it," he continued. "It's not easy for me to admit I've made mistakes. Being on the run has given me a lot of time to think. I've hurt people and I've done bad things, I know that and I want to make up for it. Walter, will you please forgive me? I want to come home, I want to come back to Scorpion."

 _To be continued..._


	17. Chapter 17 - Stalemate

**-Mark Collins attempts to explain his actions, while Florence's injuries gives Toby cause for concern.-**

 ** _A huge thank you to everyone for sticking with this story. It seems so long since the finale, but I hope you're enjoying this fix-it. I appreciate every one of your reviews. I hope you like this chapter._**

 **CHAPTER 17.**

"Forgive you?" Walter couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

Collins nodded. "Please," he repeated. "All I want is for us to be friends again, like the old days. What do you say?"

"I say you're… you're a dangerous madman, Mark," replied Walter. "And… and I could never be your friend after what you've put my family through."

Collins laughed. "Your family," he repeated. "Listen to yourself, Walter. They're not your family. I'm your family. We were like brothers, once. Imagine all the things we could achieve together, Walter. We were so close to so many breakthroughs. Just think, if I'd still been around, maybe together we could have saved Megan?"

Walter's nostrils flared anger suddenly overwhelmed him. He lunged at Collins, his fists waving wildly in the air, but Cabe grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Walter!" exclaimed Paige, terrified he was going to get hurt.

Walter tried to shrug off Cabe's clutches, but then Happy reached out and grasped his other arm. "Don't give the bastard the satisfaction," she hissed as she helped Cabe to restrain him.

Collins took two steps backward, visibly shaken. "You've changed, Walter," he said despondently. "Listen to me, I don't want to fight with you any more, I want us to be friends again. I miss you, Walter. I miss our all-nighters, the work we did. Tell him, Tobias. You know I'm telling the truth, I can't be this person anymore. I want you to help me."

Toby suddenly felt the intensity of everyone's eyes as they looked to him for confirmation. "You've lied to me before, Mark and now I can't believe anything that comes out of your mouth," he answered, his usual smart-aleck demeanour completely gone. "Maybe you are lonely? Maybe you are sorry? Or maybe you're just a crazy sociopath with a serious case of antisocial personality disorder and a liberal sprinkling of lunacy? Who knows? Of course I might be a little biased because of that time you tried to kill me?"

"Are you still going on about _that_?" retorted Collins, shaking his head.

"Yes!" exclaimed Toby, clenching his fists at his sides. "Yes I am. Because… because you tried to _kill me!_ "

"Cool it, Doc," hissed Happy. "Don't let him get to you."

Toby pressed his lips together and nodded. He suddenly realised how close he'd come to losing control. "Thanks, darlin'," he whispered.

"Why on earth do you think we'd believe you after everything you've done to us?" asked Sylvester.

"I don't," replied Collins with a shrug. "At least, I don't expect _you_ to believe me. You never understood me - you, Happy, or Tobias. The only person who ever really understood me was Walter."

"Walt had you committed to an asylum," Cabe interjected. "I'd say he knew you pretty well."

"I know and I was angry at the time," replied Collins. "But, with hindsight, I understand your reasons, Walter. I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble over the years. Can we talk about it? I just want to talk. Please?"

"Talk?" Walter was taken aback. "You just want to talk?" He let out a slow breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "We'll talk when you're back in prison, Mark. Now give Happy the keys to the chopper, we're getting out of here."

"Oh, Walter, about that," began Collins, with an apologetic look on his face. "You see, the chopper is rigged to initiate a self-destruct sequence the moment anyone other than me tries to pilot it. It's fingerprint activated. I had to, for my own safety. I'm taking a big risk here, I'm kinda outnumbered. You have no idea how intimidated I feel right now. You're all staring at me, it's not easy for me to stand before you and apologise."

For a moment Walter was speechless. He looked around at the group and he didn't know what to say or do next. This wasn't the Mark Collins they knew at all and it was more than a little disconcerting to see him being so humble. Yet at the same time no one could forget why they were here in Egypt in the first place – because he'd kidnapped two of their friends and put their lives in danger as part of a game. Walter gritted his teeth, realising he had to get his head together for the sake of the team.

"Happy, check out the chopper," he instructed. "See if what he says is true."

"On it, boss," replied Happy. "Sly, with me," she added and she ran off towards the aircraft with a very reluctant Sylvester at her heels.

"Guys," said Patty, suddenly. "Florence doesn't look too good." She was sitting on the floor next to Florence. The chemist was still on the hastily constructed stretcher they'd used to extract her from the underground silo and although she was in less pain than she had been thanks to Toby, she was looking very pale.

"We need to get her out of the sun," said Toby, crouching beside her and checking her pulse.

"Let's all get inside," agreed Cabe. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from the pocket of his jacket. "Collins, get on your knees and put your hands on your head," he ordered.

"You're arresting me?" exclaimed Collins.

"You're surprised?" retorted Toby.

Collins shook his head and reluctantly complied. "I do understand," he said, as Cabe snapped the cuffs around his wrists. "I understand why you don't trust me, but I'll show you, Walter. I promise you, I'm a changed man."

No one said a word as Cabe frogmarched Collins back into the building, with Paige, Patty and Ralph not far behind. Toby and Walter carefully picked up Florence's stretcher and followed them inside.

Toby was worried about Florence, Collins had distracted them all for a few minutes and he hadn't noticed her condition start to deteriorate. Her injuries were serious and he was working with limited equipment. His genius mind was quickly coming up with solutions to her immediate problems. His priority was to keep her stable until they could somehow get her to a hospital. The only problem was, he had no idea how long that would be. His head was spinning with Collins' words too. Toby had no idea if he was being sincere or not and that scared him more than he dared to admit. Collins was dangerous, Toby knew that – they all knew that – but he was smart too. Smarter than all of them, even Walter and there was a very real possibility that Walter could walk into whatever trap he had set. If indeed it was a trap and Collins wasn't being genuinely remorseful like he was trying to convince them he was. That was the dilemma, they had no idea.

They lowered Florence to the floor of the large room they'd walked into while Cabe made Collins sit down as far away from her as possible. It was a long room with a high ceiling and there was evidence that the room had once contained large machinery, but most of it had long since been removed. The relief of being in an air conditioned room was not lost on Cabe, but he was not going to relax, not with Collins around, he couldn't take the risk.

Toby gave Florence another shot of pain relief and was relieved himself when she opened her eyes and started to focus. He looked at Ralph. "See if there's anything around here we can use for pillows," he asked and Ralph nodded and went off to search the room. Florence blinked deeply. "Hey," said Toby with a smile of encouragement.

"Hey," responded Florence in a croaky voice.

"Can you remember what happened?" asked Toby, carefully examining her broken wrist. "Did Collins do this to you?"

"Hmmm…" responded Florence as she tried to gather her thoughts, but even Toby couldn't tell what she meant.

Walter, Paige and Patty all gathered around. Despite Collins' protestations to the contrary, Paige was convinced that he had caused Florence's injuries. She could imagine the chemist desperately trying to fight her way out of his clutches, but Collins was probably twice her size and Florence would have had no chance of escape. For the first time in over four weeks, Paige felt nothing but sympathy for her.

Ralph ran back with an armful of packaging material he'd found. "Here," he said, kneeling beside Toby. "This is all I could find."

"Nice work, pal," smiled Toby. "We need to support her head and shoulders and raise this swollen leg," he explained and he and Ralph began to place the cardboard and plastic around Florence as best they could.

"We'll have you out of here soon," said Paige, suddenly feeling the urge to reassure her.

She and Florence had been building their fledgling friendship before Scorpion had imploded and for a moment Paige wondered how close they might have become by now. Florence had put up a lot of barriers, but Paige had been working hard to break through them. She'd thought they'd been making progress, but that was before… before… Paige realised she hadn't made any progress at all.

Florence inhaled sharply and winced as Toby put another layer of cardboard under her knee.

"Easy," urged Toby. "Take it easy." He rolled up the hem of her shirt and the others caught a glimpse of her bruised torso for the first time. He pulled his stethoscope from his medical bag and slung it round his neck, before gently palpating her injured abdomen.

"It… it wasn't him. It was all my fault," said Florence, wincing again as Toby continued to examine her. She slowly looked from Walter to Paige. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"Are we… are we still talking about how you got injured?" asked Paige.

She wasn't ready to talk to Florence about what had happened with Walter. Not here, not like this. Maybe one day, when all of this craziness was over, but right now all that mattered to Paige was that she was back with Walter. In the last four weeks Paige had felt as though her sanity had been slowly melting into a puddle, but now, for the first time since she'd walked out of the garage, she could see her future. She just wished she could clear the fog from her mind.

Whatever feelings Florence had for Walter may, or may not still exist, but Paige realised now that it didn't matter. She glanced at Walter, but his expression was unemotional. Cold, almost. For a moment Paige was shocked that he appeared so unmoved by Florence's heartfelt apology, then she realised that his EQ had all but shut down and what little ability he had to process emotion had gone. She understood why and for a brief moment she wished she could do the same because with everything going on around her she was close to breaking point.

"Flo?" prompted Toby, glancing at Paige with concern. "Tell us what happened."

"Oh…" Florence screwed up her face. "I… I tried to climb out."

"Of a thirty five foot silo?" queried Walter.

"Guess I was desperate," replied Florence through gritted teeth. "Stood on the chair," she continued. "Figured I could jump… got a hold of one of the vents… tried to climb higher… but…"

"You lost your grip and fell," Walter finished her sentence for her and Florence nodded slowly.

"I guess the chair broke your fall," noted Toby. "And your wrist… and a few ribs."

"I told you I didn't hurt her!" Collins called out from across the room. "She was fine when I left her."

"Well sh…she's not fine now," snapped Walter, leaping to his feet and striding purposefully over to Collins. "Why do all of this, Mark?"

"Why not?"

"If… if you wanted to talk you could have just called me."

"And you'd have had every government agent on my back before I'd taken a breath," replied Collins. "And I wouldn't have blamed you, I'm a fugitive. A wanted man. I do understand."

"Stop saying that!" insisted Walter. "Stop telling me that you understand me!"

"But I do," insisted Collins. "I've always understood you. And you understand me, Walter. That's something special we have."

"Someone pass me a sick bucket," sneered Happy as she strode into the building with Sylvester. "OK, so Collins' story checks out," she added. "There's another explosive device, I'm not going to be able to fly us out of here any time soon."

"Can you disarm it?" asked Cabe.

"Maybe, but it'll take time," explained Happy. "The easiest thing would be for Collins here to disable it."

"Or I could just fly us all to safety?" suggested Collins.

"I hate flying at the best of times," Sylvester pointed out, twisting his hands together until his knuckles went white. "But if you think I'm getting in a chopper with him at the controls, you are mistaken."

"Trust me, Walter," urged Collins.

"Never." Walter turned his back on Collins, he couldn't bear to look at him any longer. Cabe, on the other hand, was not about to take his eyes of his prisoner for a single second.

Walter took a deep breath and walked away. He could see Sylvester had settled at Florence's side and was holding her uninjured hand and for a brief moment he remembered how the younger genius had done the same for Megan as she'd suffered in her final weeks.

He stopped in his tracks and hung his head, fighting the emotion that always welled up inside him when he thought of his sister. What would Megan say about the way he'd behaved towards Sylvester – his brother - that day? About the way Sylvester had lunged at him, about the things Paige had said? About everything? Walter swallowed hard. She would have been devastated.

Suddenly he felt a gentle hand on his arm. It was Paige. Of course it was Paige, it was always Paige. His eyes lit up as they met hers.

"Talk to me, Walter," she said in a low voice. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I… I want to believe him," replied Walter. "But how can I? This… this has to be another one of his m…mind games."

Paige tightened her grip on his arm. "He won't get away with the things he's done," she said, trying to reassure him. "Just be careful, please. He's trying to hook you in, he'll say whatever he thinks you want to hear."

Walter nodded. "I know, but…" Part of him wanted to hear whatever he had to say, but he knew Collins was capable of anything, even in handcuffs.

"You… you don't really think he's sorry, do you?" Paige asked.

"When we used to work together," began Walter. "We… well, you've heard the stories. How we could go three or four days without eating because we were…"

"Down a rabbit hole," Paige finished. Paige had never fully understood what the expression meant, but she knew from what Happy, Toby and Sylvester had told her that it was not a good place.

"Precisely," agreed Walter. "Maybe he misses that?"

"Do you?"

"Yes," replied Walter without missing a beat. "I mean, I… I used to. Before I met you. Now m…m…my mind is occupied with other thoughts."

Paige smiled and delicately touched the side of his face. "You have an incredible mind, Walter. Your IQ is off the scale. Collins is right about one thing, you could achieve so much more. I don't want you to waste that opportunity because of me."

"I use my… my intellect to help people," responded Walter. "We… we save lives, Paige. Scorpion saves lives. I… I don't know what else I can do that would be more important than… than that? What he said about Megan… I know he was just t…t…trying to antagonise me. I did everything I could to save her, Paige. Everything."

Paige wrapped her arms around him. "I know you did, Walter." She could feel his heart beating in his chest. It felt good to hold him again. Their reunion was so new, so raw, so delicate and she was almost afraid to hold too tight in case it shattered what they had. "I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"Reciprocated," he responded softly, his lips pressed against the top of her head.

"That escalated quickly."

Paige and Walter gasped and broke apart at the sound of Toby's voice. Paige opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't form a sentence.

"It's OK," said Toby with a tiny grin. "You don't have to say a word. Just don't ever do something as dumb as breaking up again, deal?"

Walter and Paige nodded profusely.

"Now I hate to bring you guys down from your fluffy cloud of romantic euphoria," continued Toby. "But right now we have a problem. Florence."

"How is she?" asked Walter, finding his voice.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you, Toby," added Paige.

Toby nodded seriously. "Her knee is completely dislocated. She could lose the leg if she doesn't have urgent surgery."

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Paige. "Is… is that something you can do?"

"Of course it is," he replied, with a dismissive shrug. "But an abandoned sewage plant really isn't the place for major surgery. I hate to sound like Sly, but the potential for infection in this place is phenomenal and if that happens she'll be in real trouble. Best I can do for now is try to manipulate the knee joint into a better position. I might be able to buy us some time."

"Is she still in pain?" asked Paige.

"I hit her with another dose of morphine, she's as comfortable as I can make her, but she needs to be in the hospital," replied Toby. "You know what we could do with right now, Walt? A passing train? Maybe an Uber? Oh, oh, I know, a helicopter! Any ideas where we can find one?"

Without saying another word, Walter turned and marched over to Collins. "I… I demand you disable the self-destruct device immediately and allow Happy to fly Florence to the hospital."

For a moment, Collins did not react, but then he threw his head back and laughed. "Why would I do that?"

"B…b…because you keep telling me you don't want to hurt anyone," replied Walter. "And Florence is badly hurt. You keep saying you want to be my… my friend, but you're holding us all hostage in… in this goddamn place!"

"I'm holding _you_ hostage?" repeated Collins, incredulously. "I'm the one in handcuffs here. I'd call this more of a stalemate."

"Mark… Mark, please." Walter didn't want to beg, but he was getting dangerously close.

Collins sighed. "How about a deal?" he suggested.

"No deal," replied Walter. He folded his arms across his chest defiantly.

"I'll disable the device on the chopper and the lovely Mrs Quinn-Curtis can pilot your little chemist friend to the nearest hospital. In fact, they can all leave… except you. You stay here with me and we'll talk. Just like the old days."

"No way!" exclaimed Cabe. "Do you think we're all morons, Collins?"

Collins rolled his eyes. "Then I won't disable the device and only I will be able to fly that chopper."

Paige stepped forward. "Forget it, Collins," she said. "We all leave here together. Tell him Walter."

Silence.

Toby slowly got to his feet and glanced at Happy. For the first time ever he hoped he had just read Walter all wrong, but he knew he hadn't.

"O'Brien," Happy prompted. Her palms started to sweat as she recognised the look on Walter's face. He was going to do something really stupid. "O'Brien!"

Silence.

"Walter," said Sylvester. His voice was shaky and he could feel his chest tightening. "Walter…?" Surely Walter wasn't going to stay with Collins? Surely not…?

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

Walter turned away from Collins and reached for Paige's hand. "I have to do this," he said.

"No!" exclaimed Paige.

"Florence needs surgery, it's…"

"Don't you dare give me that greater good crap!" Paige almost screamed at him.

"I owe Mark this much."

"You don't owe this crazy psycho anything, pal," said Toby, jabbing an angry finger at Collins. "Just think about what you're doing."

Walter turned back to Collins and looked him in the eye. "Mark, we _were_ close once," he began. "And having you committed was… was one of the most d…difficult things I've ever done."

"And he once survived a freefall from space," Patty interjected.

"Yes," agreed Walter. "I… I… I agree to your terms, on one condition. Cabe stays too."

"What?" Collins exclaimed.

"Good decision, son," nodded Cabe.

"Those are my terms," insisted Walter. "And… and as you pointed out, you're the one in… in handcuffs."

"Walter, you can't! Please!" begged Paige.

Walter looked at her and took her face in his hands. "Don't worry," he said, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. "Everything will be fine. I love you, Paige and… and I always will."

 _To be continued..._


	18. Chapter 18 - Separation

**Walter and Cabe stay behind with Collins and he reveals more of his crazy plan, meanwhile the rest of the team start to make plans of their own.**

 ** _I know I say this every time, but I really do appreciate every single one of your reviews on this story. Your support means everything. I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

 **CHAPTER 18**

"If you're lying to me, Collins…"

"Happy, I promise this bird is safe to fly," Collins replied. He held up a tiny electronic trigger device in one hand and a square of Semtex with two wires trailing from it in the other. It was all Happy could do not to physically recoil – the last thing the wanted was to let Collins realise she was scared of him.

"OK, OK, I'll start her up," she said and she climbed into the helicopter and began the usual pre-flight checks.

Collins turned to walk back towards the building, but a firm hand on his shoulder stalled him. It was Cabe. He would never trust Collins, not after everything he'd done, but the helicopter was the only way they had of getting Florence to a hospital and the rest of the team to safety so right now he had no choice.

"If anything happens to that chopper I'll kill you with my bare hands," said Cabe menacingly. He tightened his grip and Collins squirmed and let out an audible whimper. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly," Collins replied. "Please let me go… please…" Cabe reluctantly released his grasp and Collins let out a sigh of relief. "I understand why you don't trust me," he began, but Cabe was having none of it.

"I don't wanna listen to your bullshit," he said. "I don't know what your plan is, but I won't let you do anything to hurt Walter."

"Oh, Cabe!" exclaimed Collins. "I don't want to hurt anyone, especially Walter. Haven't I already said this?"

Before Cabe could answer, Patty and Ralph came running out of the building. "Cabe! Happy!" shouted Ralph as they got closer. "We need to leave now!"

"What's wrong?" asked Cabe with concern.

"It's Florence," explained Patty. "Toby says her toes are cold."

"Can't we just find her some socks?" asked Cabe with a frown.

"It means there are damaged blood vessels and probably nerve damage too," said Collins. "This is what Tobias was afraid of. She needs that surgery."

"Well thanks for the explanation, _Doctor_ Collins," sneered Cabe.

"I didn't want this to happen," insisted Collins, but Cabe just rolled his eyes.

Ralph sighed. "Collins is right about Florence," he reluctantly admitted.

Just then the main door from the building opened and Toby and Sylvester appeared, carrying Florence on the makeshift stretcher. As they got closer Cabe could see how worried they both were and he ran over to help, taking Toby's end of the stretcher.

"How close are we to take off?" Toby asked.

Happy jumped out of the helicopter at the sound of her husband's voice. "Ready when you are," she said. She walked over to meet him, a little shocked at the uneasiness in his voice. "You OK, Doc?" she asked.

Toby turned to face her. He grasped her hands in his and squeezed gently. "I'll need to work on Florence's knee while we're in the air," he replied. "So I'll need a smooth ride. You're the best pilot I know, but…" he trailed off for a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Darlin' if I can't restore the blood flow to…"

"I know, I know, she'll lose her leg, you said that before," Happy interrupted him, with a grim look on her face. "Toby, I'll do everything I can for you… and for Florence."

Toby managed a small smile before kissing her tenderly. "I know you will," he said. He turned back to see Sylvester and Cabe loading the stretcher onto the helicopter.

Collins tried to take Florence's weight as Sylvester climbed on board, but Cabe pushed him away. "Good god, I'm just trying to help!" exclaimed Collins.

"You can help by getting the hell outta my way," snapped Cabe.

Collins took a step backwards and held his hands in the air in a gesture of innocence and watched as Happy climbed back into the pilot's seat. Toby helped Patty on board before climbing in himself, just as the rotors began to move, picking up speed with every rotation.

Ralph had gone back inside to find Paige and Walter and he'd found them locked in an embrace. They quickly untangled themselves from each other, but offered no explanation to the young genius. With no time to contemplate the implications of what he'd seen, Ralph quickly explained their predicament. "We've gotta go, Mom!" he said urgently, grabbing Paige's hand, but she shook herself free.

"Walter and I… we…we just need a minute," she said. "Please, Ralph. I'll catch you up."

Ralph stood in silence for a moment. He looked from his mother to Walter, desperately trying to figure out which question out of the hundreds of questions that were suddenly swirling around in his mind he would ask first, but he couldn't.

Were his Mom and Walter back together? Were they a family again?

"Ralph, please don't worry," said Walter. "And please t…take care of your mother for me," he added.

Ralph swallowed hard. That had sounded way too much like a permanent goodbye for his liking. "Walter…" but it was the only word he could get out of his mouth. Instead he threw himself at Walter, wrapping his arms tightly around him and burying his face into Walter's chest.

Tears filled Paige's eyes as she watched the tender moment. She'd longed for this, probably more than she'd longed to be in Walter's arms again. Everything that had happened – that horrible fight they'd had, everything she'd said and done since – if she could take it all back she would if it would mean Ralph did not have to suffer through the pain and heartache of the last month.

Eventually Walter gently pushed Ralph away. "You… you have to go," he said and Ralph nodded before heading for the door.

Walter glanced at Paige and his heart ached more than it had ever done before. He reached out and slipped his hand into hers. "You have to go," he repeated, but this time his voice cracked.

Paige couldn't speak. Surely this wasn't the end? It couldn't end like this, it couldn't, not after everything they'd been through? Then she saw the determined look in his eyes and she knew it wasn't over, it wasn't over at all.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"More coffee, Doc?"

Toby looked up at the sound of Happy's voice and shook his head. "So turns out Egyptian hospital coffee is just as bad as American hospital coffee, who knew?" he replied.

Happy sat herself down on the chair beside him. It was upholstered in bright orange material and she briefly wondered why the hospital had chosen that particular colour for the seating in the waiting room, but her mind soon returned to less trivial matters. "I'm worried about O'Brien," she admitted.

"He and Cabe are stuck in the middle of the desert with no transport and no means of communication," Toby answered. "Oh, and he's got a crazy sociopath for company. What's to worry about?"

"I trust Cabe to keep him safe," said Happy with a sigh. "It's just…"

Collins had been uncharacteristically true to his word and removed the explosive device from the helicopter, but Happy couldn't get the image out of her mind of him standing with Walter and Cabe, grinning maniacally and waving madly as they lifted into the air.

"They'll be fine, sugarplum," Toby tried to reassure her. "As long as Collins doesn't lead Walt down some crazy rabbit hole," he added. "Giant Egyptian desert rabbits."

"You know the rabbit hole metaphor is just a metaphor, right?" said Happy, suddenly concerned that her husband was starting to lose his mind.

"They're the size of prairie dogs, they dig _really_ big holes."

"Really?"

"Nope, just made it up," replied Toby. "Sorry, darlin', I'm going a little stir crazy here."

"How much longer before Flo gets out of surgery?" asked Happy, keen to get him to focus.

"Maybe another half hour?" suggested Toby. "This is the best hospital in Cairo and the doctor I spoke to is one of the top orthopaedic surgeons in the country."

"Amazing what flashing a few American Dollars can get you," noted Happy. Then she lowered her voice. "Good thing he doesn't know we're illegal aliens yet."

"ET phone home," said Toby, putting on a silly voice and pointing his index finger at Happy, but she wasn't in the mood and just scowled at him.

Toby glanced around the large, well-lit waiting room. Patty and Ralph had claimed two of the orange chairs each to stretch out on and were both fast asleep and Sylvester was fighting fatigue himself. Toby briefly wondered where Paige was, but then she walked back into the room and Toby's heart sank. She was giving off a whole host of markers and none of them were good. Fear, frustration, anger – all the same emotions he knew the whole team were going through, himself included.

"Hey, waitress," said Happy, getting to her feet. "When are we getting out of here?" she snapped.

Paige knew Happy hadn't meant to make it sound like it was her fault they were still there, but she felt guilty anyway.

"I'm just waiting for confirmation on a medevac to get Flo home, but Homeland insist they can't risk an international incident by arranging an extraction for the rest of us," she explained.

"Figures," sighed Toby. "Still, I hear Egyptian jails are nice this time of year."

"If only we had that bastard in custody," hissed Happy and she clenched her fists.

"Pity Walt didn't think of that before he negotiated himself and Cabe into this mess," noted Toby.

"Hmmm," growled Happy in agreement.

She was angry – fuming, in fact - with Walter for insisting they left without him, yet she felt guilty for leaving him behind. It wasn't the first time Walter had made the decision to sacrifice himself - for the greater good, he would say – but this time was different. This time he had Cabe with him, but Happy couldn't decide if that made it better or worse. All she could do was hope that he was using his one ninety seven IQ to come up with a plan.

"Katherine is trying her best for us, but her hands are tied," continued Paige. "The best advice she can give us is that we get ourselves to the US Embassy in Cairo and wait."

"Run and hide, you mean?" exclaimed Happy. "Is that all Cooper can offer? No way, not while Walter and Cabe are still out there with Collins."

"And we can't just leave Florence here alone," added Toby. He'd done everything he could for her during the helicopter flight, but he still didn't know if he'd done enough. The thought of her waking up alone in a strange country following potentially life changing surgery was unbearable.

Paige nodded. "I agree," she said. "But…" she trailed off and glanced over her shoulder at her sleeping son.

"You and Ralph should go to the embassy," suggested Toby. "Take Patty. The three of us will wait it out here."

Paige thought about his offer. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts. She was desperate to get her son to safety, to get him home without putting him through any more than he'd already endured, but deep down she knew he wouldn't leave until Walter was safe. And neither would she.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a booming voice. "Americans!"

The sound jolted Sylvester from his slumber and he sat bolt upright in his seat. "Oh no, they're onto us!" he muttered under his breath. "We're going to jail… oh gosh, we're going to jail…"

Suddenly his mind was filled with thoughts of the last time he was in jail, the time he'd gone undercover, come face to face with dangerous criminals and died – well, almost.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

But the voice belonged to the surgeon Toby had talked to earlier. Patty and Ralph stirred as Sylvester, realising his incarceration was not as imminent as he'd first feared, leapt to his feet.

"How is she?" asked Paige as they all gathered round the doctor.

"The surgery is a success! Your tiny friend is A-OK!" beamed the surgeon. His accent was thick, but his English was excellent. He was a tall man, with receding, dark hair and years of experience etched into his face and Paige was grateful that he had been the one to operate on Florence.

"Oh, thank goodness," said Sylvester, still struggling to control his breathing.

He was already blaming himself for Florence's injuries. He knew it was irrational, but part of him couldn't help but think that if he'd just asked her on a date months ago she wouldn't be here now in this mess.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Lose the guilt markers, pal. Just breathe."

It was Toby's best calming voice and Sylvester clung to it as his head started to spin.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Your friend will need the physical therapy," continued the surgeon, seemingly oblivious to Sylvester's turmoil. "But she will make full recovery."

"Thank you, Doctor," smiled Paige. At least that was one less thing to worry about, she thought to herself. Considering how much trouble they were in she suddenly realised her mind was as clear and focussed as it had been for weeks.

"I should be thanking Doctor Curtis!" replied the surgeon. "Without his intervention, the outcome for your friend would be quite different. What was that rubber tubing you used? Is it standard American medical equipment?"

"Actually it was from a fire extinguisher," explained Toby with a shrug. "It was all we had."

The doctor was stunned. "I've never seen anything like it," he said.

"You've never seen Scorpion at work," replied Happy with a grin.

She turned to her husband and smiled proudly, but he didn't smile back. Now she was worried. Toby was always quite happy to take credit for his work and it usually took a lot to wipe the smug grin off his face.

"Is Florence awake?" asked Sylvester. "Can… can I… can _we_ see her?"

"Your friend is in the recovery now," the doctor answered. "A nurse will come. You wait here for a few minutes, yes?"

"Yes," agreed Sylvester. "Yes, yes, thank you," he added and the surgeon smiled cheerily and walked away.

Sylvester sat back down on the chair he had vacated a few moments ago. Suddenly it felt cold and even more uncomfortable than it had before. Sweat started to bead at his temples and he felt his chest tighten again.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

He _had_ to see her, he _had_ to talk to her, he _had_ to apologise.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Where's Toby gone?" asked Paige suddenly.

Happy spun round. "He _was_ here," she said, looking from left to right. "He was right here." She exchanged a worried glance with Paige, realising she'd also noticed her husband's sudden change in demeanour when he was talking to the surgeon.

"He can't be far away," said Paige. "We'll go look for him. Sly, stay here with Ralph and Patty."

Happy and Paige split up and walked in opposite directions along the hospital corridor. Happy's heart pounded as she searched. She knew more than anyone how Toby fought his own demons daily, she'd seen how easily he could fall into a dark place and if that's what had happened she hoped she was strong enough to hold him together.

Paige was the first one to find Toby. He was outside the main hospital entrance, leaning with one shoulder against the wall, his head bowed. He was holding his hat in front of him and slowly spinning it around in his hands.

"Toby?"

He looked round at the sound of her voice. "Hey, you found me," he said, forcing a smile onto his lips. "Now it's your turn to hide. I'm counting to ten."

"Toby," frowned Paige. "Don't be a jerk. Talk to me."

"Couch time?" suggested Toby.

Paige shrugged. "Why not?" she replied. "Works for me, let's try it the other way around for a change. I'm no shrink, but I figure talking to a friend is the next best thing."

Toby's smile was genuine now. "Thanks, Paige, I appreciate it, I really do, but I'm just… I'm just standing here thinking about a poker game and a large bottle of Jack Daniels."

"Just _thinking_ about it, though, right?" queried Paige.

Toby flipped his hat over one final time and dropped it onto his head. "Just thinking," he confirmed. "I'm not quite in full self-destruct mode yet."

Paige reached out and tenderly touched his elbow. "I'm scared too, Toby," she admitted. "More than I can put into words, but we can't let Collins beat us and we won't. I don't know why, considering the mess we're all in, but I haven't felt this positive in a long time."

"Just a wild guess, but it might have something to do with you and Walt getting back together," noted Toby with a smirk.

"I don't know if we're…" began Paige, but she trailed off. She hadn't even considered the long term status of her relationship with Walter, everything they'd shared in the desert had felt so right in that moment, but what it meant for their future she had no idea. "I guess I won't know anything until he's safe," she said sadly.

Just then Happy appeared and she ran over to join them.

"There you are, you putz!" she exclaimed. "I've been worried sick about you!" When Toby didn't respond she glanced at Paige who gave a tiny shake of her head, but Happy wasn't entirely sure how to interpret the gesture.

Toby wrapped his arms around his wife and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Don't worry about me, darlin', I just needed a moment," he insisted.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Paige, smiling warmly at them both before walking back into the hospital, knowing they'd be fine. They had each other.

It just made her long to be back in Walter's arms even more.

xXxXXxXxXxX

"And this is the bedroom, if you can call it that. It's cosy, but it's all I need."

As soon as the helicopter had disappeared from view, Mark Collins had insisted on giving Walter and Cabe a tour of the facility. He'd shown them the laboratories, the generator and back-up power, the workshops and storage facilities and now they were in what Cabe could only describe as the domestic quarters. There was a seating area and a small kitchen and a single bed in the corner of a small room. Collins had, of course, set up his radio equipment and there were three old looking laptop computers which were running some kind of algorithm the purpose of which Cabe had no idea.

"Why are you showing us all of this?" asked Walter.

"I want you to like it," replied Collins. "If you have any ideas on how we can reorganise then I'm listening."

"Is this where you've been living this whole time?" asked Cabe, staring in disbelief at his surroundings.

"On and off," confirmed Collins. "Don't worry, Walter, there's a spare bedroom. I know we're not exactly roomies anymore."

"A spare… what are you talking about?" asked Walter. He knew he wasn't good at interpreting emotions, but Collins' tour of the facility had confused the heck out of him.

"Well I assume you'll want a bed when you're staying here," replied Collins. "I was kind of hoping you'd be spending at least four or five months of the year here. I do understand that you want to be with Paige, but I'm sure once she sees how we work together she won't mind not seeing you for a while. She can even come and stay for a week or two if she wants to."

"Why the hell do you think I'd be spending any time here with you at all?" exclaimed Walter. He was utterly bemused by Collins' behaviour.

"So we can work on our joint projects!" replied Collins, throwing his hands in the air in despair. "Haven't you been listening? This is going to be Scorpion's Egyptian headquarters. Every new discovery we make here, every invention, every breakthrough, they'll all belong to the company. I don't want to take any personal credit, that's not what this is about."

"Wait a second," said Cabe. "Am I understanding you right? You want to be part of Scorpion again, living here and working on… on whatever, with Walter staying with you for months at a time?"

Collins looked at Walter. "Maybe he is a genius after all?" he said sardonically.

"You do realise there's an international arrest warrant out for you?" continued Cabe.

"I haven't forgotten," Collins assured him. "That's why I can never return home, I know that, but things are different here. The authorities can be… let's say they can be persuaded to turn a blind eye to such things. If I live here in the desert and don't cause them any trouble they'll leave us in peace to get on with our work."

"What is this 'us', Mark?" asked Walter. He slowly paced around the room. The layout was efficient, he couldn't argue with that, but he could never imagine himself living here, Collins or no Collins.

"Come on, Walter! Think of what we could achieve together! Just like it used to be. Remember how close we were?"

"Our working relationship was… productive… occasionally," agreed Walter. "But I wouldn't say we were close, exactly."

Collins sighed and hung his head. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," he said. Then suddenly, before even Cabe had time to react, Collins spun round and tapped a few keys on one of the computer keyboards. There was a loud shuddering noise that shook the entire building and a green light activated in the corner of the room.

"What have you done?" asked Cabe, reaching for his gun.

"Security measures," explained Collins. "No one gets in… and no one gets out. Only I can override it so don't even think about trying to hack my system, Walter."

"You mean we're trapped in here?" exclaimed Walter.

"If you want to think of it that way that's your choice," retorted Collins. "I thought we were just having a sleepover. Oh don't look so glum my old friend. This is going to be fun!"

 _To be continued..._


	19. Chapter 19 - Understanding

**Happy and Toby have a heart to heart, Walter and Cabe start to formulate an escape plan and Sylvester and Florence finally get to talk.**

 _ **I'm so grateful to everyone who is following this story and for all of your lovely reviews. I've wanted to write the conversation between Sylvester and Florence for such a long time - it may not be what everyone was expecting, but it feels right to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you all for your continued support.**_

 **CHAPTER 19.**

"You OK, Doc?"

"I have the most beautiful woman in my arms, how can I not be OK?"

Happy sighed and pressed her head into his chest. "You're allowed to freak out," she replied. "You've been holding us all together this whole time – Paige, Sly, me – it's too much."

"Too much for me? Nah."

"Stop that, you jerk!" she scolded and pulled away from his arms to glare at him. "Don't try to pull that stunt with me, Toby. I know you, I know when you start thinking about hitting the grog that things are bad. When you start running odds in your head, or thinking about the ponies. It's not good, Doc. Don't try to pretend with me. I love you, you great doofus."

"I told you, sugarplum, I'm OK," replied Toby. "Yeah, maybe for a minute back there…" he trailed off. "But it's all good now. I promise you."

"When we get out of this mess," began Happy. "When we save O'Brien's ass and get ourselves home, you and I are gonna take some time off."

"I think we _all_ need time off," agreed Toby.

"Yeah, well, the others can do whatever they like," replied Happy. "But you and I… we have so much to look forward to and it ain't gonna happen if you don't start taking some time for yourself. For us. I know you think you're a narcissist and… well, OK, you still are, but things are different now. You have people you care about, people who care about you – who love you – but you can't do all their thinking for them."

Toby pulled her close, her speech had overwhelmed him and it was all he could do to hold himself together. He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head.

"I've dedicated my life to what I do and, dammit, darlin', I'm good at it," he said. "And if I can't use what I know to help the people I care about then I've lost a part of who I am… I know sometimes I get it wrong and sometimes my urge to self-sabotage takes over, especially with One Ninety Seven… sometimes I push him too far, but that's just how we roll. And Paige and Sly… Sly's my hero, Hap! It wasn't that long ago he could barely step outside his apartment, now he jumps outta planes and stands up to crazy despots. And Paige has raised Ralph to be the most amazing kid, despite everything she's been through. I can't just stand back and watch her life fall apart now."

"I love you even more – if that's possible – for all of that, but something's gotta give, or you'll be the one on the psychiatrist's couch. Or in a padded cell."

Toby smiled. "Maybe you're right," he admitted. "You might just be the smartest genius I know," he added in a whispered tone and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, lingering for a moment before adding. "I don't deserve you."

"You deserve better than me," replied Happy - she could match any amount of self-deprecation he threw at her. "But I think we're stuck with each other now."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Goodnight, Walter. Goodnight, Cabe."

"What is this, The Waltons?" Cabe clenched his fists and glared at Collins.

He was really struggling to control his temper now. Seeing the way Collins was trying to manipulate Walter was making him sick. As far as Cabe could tell, Walter wasn't falling for any of it, but they were still trapped here and Cabe couldn't see any way out. He knew Walter would be working on a plan… at least he hoped he was.

"Why do you have to be so cynical all the time?" frowned Collins.

"Maybe because you tried to have me thrown in prison?" offered Cabe with a scowl.

Collins shook his head. "Can't we put that behind us? This is a fresh start for all of us. For Scorpion. God knows you need one. You'll see, in little while when we're getting real results and making a real difference to people's lives you'll forget how I used to be."

Walter looked at Cabe. Picking up on emotional cues could be difficult for him, but not this time. It was obvious that Cabe was one smart remark away from doing something he'd regret. "It's been a… a long and difficult day, Mark," he said, hoping his voice sounded calmer than he felt. "We'll talk more in the morning."

Cabe swallowed hard. He didn't want to talk, he was a man of action. And the feeling of being a prisoner in this place was starting to drive him crazy.

Collins smiled, an eerily warm smile and left the room without saying another word. As soon as the door closed behind them Cabe pulled out his gun and threw it on one of the beds. "Why hasn't he taken this?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Why haven't you used it?" replied Walter.

"You asked me not to," Cabe responded with a shrug.

Walter nodded appreciatively. "I guess Mark trusts us more than we trust him," he noted. "Cabe, we need to get out of here. We need to get a message to the others."

"Do you think Flo's OK?" pondered Cabe. "She was in a pretty bad way."

"I don't care about Florence!" exclaimed Walter. "All I care about is Paige! Don't you get that? Paige and… and Ralph."

"Woah, steady on, son," urged Cabe, placing a firm, steadying hand on his shoulder. "We're both of us going a little stir crazy in here and we've both gotta learn keep a lid on it, don't let Collins see what he's doing to you or he'll exploit it."

Walter let out a slow breath and hung his head. "I know… I know, I'm sorry," he said. "Of course I'm concerned about Florence. And Sylvester and… and Happy and Toby too, they're family. But… Paige and I… it's not over, Cabe. I thought it was and I… I haven't been able t…t…to think straight for weeks, but now I know we have a chance together. I just know it and… and I'm not going to let Mark Collins ruin that for me."

Walter took another deep breath to control his racing heartbeat. The release had felt good, though, he'd been bottling up his anger, but now he felt a strange sense of calm. He could start to focus now and as he closed his eyes he could see Paige and she gave him strength.

"So what's your plan?"

"I need to access the computers," Walter explained, snapping out of his drifting thoughts. "But it's going to take me a while to break through all the security levels Mark's installed. He's clever, it's old technology, harder to hack into, but he's upgraded it. I can work my way in, but I'll need time. You'll have to distract him."

"Maybe I'll distract him by wringing his neck?" retorted Cabe.

"No, Cabe, no," insisted Walter. "Mark has done a lot of terrible things to us, but he's never killed anyone."

"He came pretty close with the Doc," noted Cabe.

Walter shook his head. "No, he… he would never have let Toby die, he knew we'd find him, he wanted us to rescue him. It... it was all just a game. He's sick, he… he needs locking up, but you're not a cold blooded killer, Cabe and I won't allow Mark Collins to turn you into one."

Cabe sighed. He wished he could fully agree with Walter's sentiments, but there was still a part of him with a strong desire to make Collins pay for all the pain he'd caused. "OK then, In the morning I'll get him talking," he said, as his dark thoughts began to dissipate. "Tell him that I've decided to give him a chance, that I'm interested in his plans. Get him to show me some of that science mumbo jumbo again."

"I just need ten minutes to start with," said Walter. "I need to see what I'm dealing with. I have to be careful, I can't do too much at once or he'll notice. Ten minutes at a time, it's all I can risk."

"I guess we should sleep," sighed Cabe. "We're gonna need all the energy we can get."

The next morning they were keen to put their plan into action. Walter had slept very little, Cabe even less, but they'd both done a lot of thinking.

About Mark, about home, about their family.

"Breakfast!" called Collins. "I hope you like eggs. At least, I hope you like lab grown egg substitute."

Cabe turned his nose up. "I think I'll pass," he growled, staring at the plate of food in front of him. "I like my eggs to come from actual chickens."

"Suit yourself, but it's the future, Cabe, whether you like it or not," retorted Collins. He sat down, squeezing himself in between Cabe and Walter on the bench. "Now, let's eat and talk. I thought today I'd show you the sterile facility I've installed. It's only small, but we can do a lot of research in a small space. Remember the work we did on those damaged cells, Walter?"

"It was a fluke," replied Walter. "We have no idea how, or why those cells regenerated."

"But they did and that's why we need to continue our work!" exclaimed Collins. "We could rid the world of terrible diseases!" He stuffed a forkful of scrambled egg substitute into his mouth.

Walter glanced at Cabe. This was a perfect opportunity. Cabe picked up on his idea and cleared his throat.

"I'm interested," he said and Collins stopped chewing to look up at him. "I'm not saying I trust you, or I agree with you hiding out here," continued Cabe, "but I'd like to see what you're talking about."

"Really? You?" queried Collins.

"Yeah, why not? You think a non-genius doesn't care about curing disease? Listen, Collins, I'm getting old. Who knows what might be right around the corner for me. I don't wanna die of some cruel medical condition, when it's my time I want to go out with dignity."

Collins smiled. "I knew you weren't as dumb as you looked," he said.

Cabe knew he was goading him, but he didn't react. He just waited in silence, allowing Collins to form an opinion on whether he was telling the truth.

"I've been talking to… to Cabe about some of the work we did," said Walter, pressing the point.

Collins nodded slowly and spoke again. "OK, OK, I'll buy it," he said. "But if this is some kind of plan to steal my research Walter…"

" _Our_ research," Walter corrected him. "W…w…why would I want to steal my own work?"

Collins shrugged. "You've stabbed me in the back before, Walter," he said looking genuinely hurt. "Remember having me committed? Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?"

"Mark, I was… I was trying to help you," replied Walter, earnestly. "You needed help and… and I couldn't give it to you."

"Hey, I thought you two were putting the past behind you?" offered Cabe, keen to diffuse the escalating tension.

Collins sat back in his chair and smiled that unsettling smile of his. "You're absolutely right," he said. "Walter, I'm sorry, this is as hard for me as it is for you, but I honestly believe it'll be worth it. We can rebuild what we had, we were good together and we can be great together if you'll just let me prove myself."

Walter swallowed hard. Collins' impassioned speech was disconcerting to say the least and part of him wanted desperately to believe him. Maybe they could be great together? Maybe Collins had changed? Then he remembered they were currently being held prisoner in Collins' secret desert headquarters and he realised the man hadn't changed at all. In fact he was far more dangerous than he'd ever been before.

"Collins, I meant what I said." Cabe's voice cut into Walter's thoughts. "Tell me about the research, show me one of your projects. If I like what I see I might just be willing to go along with this whole idea after all."

Collins beamed and leapt to his seat. "Oh, Cabe!" he exclaimed. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. Follow me, you're going to be blown away by this."

"Not literally, I hope," noted Cabe.

Collins threw his head back and laughed. "You're a funny guy!" he exclaimed. "You're such a fantastic addition to our team!"

"Our team?" queried Walter.

"Yes!" responded Collins, enthusiastically. "Team Scorpion! Go Team Scorpion!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hey." Sylvester's voice was barely audible. He took another step into the hospital room and tried again. "Hey… Florence."

Florence slowly turned her head towards the door. Her leg was heavily strapped and raised in a sling and her injured hand was in plaster. She looked pale and her blonde hair was splayed out on the pillow. An IV ran into her arm and a nasal cannula was delivering oxygen to her weary body. She looked so small, Sylvester hadn't been prepared for how vulnerable she looked. A wave of guilt threatened to overwhelm him, somehow this was all his fault.

"Sylvester…" Florence's voice was barely more than a whisper. She didn't have enough energy to say anything else.

Sylvester stopped in his tracks. His palms started to sweat and his chest tightened. He'd already been standing outside the door for over five minutes getting his breathing under control and now his anxiety had taken over again, but not for the reason he'd been expecting. His mind was suddenly overwhelmed with flashbacks, old memories that replayed in perfect detail and he couldn't stop them.

Old memories of Megan.

Of walking into her hospital room. Of hearing her weak voice calling his name from her hospital bed.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Um… so… the doctors say you're gonna be OK," said Sylvester eventually. It wasn't how he had planned to start this conversation at all.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Yeah," replied Florence, her voice a little less croaky than before. "The nurse said… I was lucky… my doctor friend was… was there. I… I guess that was… Toby? It's all a blur."

Sylvester nodded. "He… he… in the helicopter he had to... I… I…" but it was no good, he couldn't form a cohesive sentence.

"Is… is Toby still my friend?" asked Florence. "Are… are you?"

Sylvester let out a shuddery breath and gently clutched her good hand in his as he sat down on the chair beside her bed. "I… I hope so," he said. "Florence, I… I don't know if this is a good time – while you're kinda spaced out on meds – but… but I need to talk to you. You and I… what I said in the garage… the way I behaved…"

"You're… you're not in love with me… are you."

Sylvester hung his head and sighed deeply. "I keep going over and over everything that happened that day and… and you must think I'm an idiot." He lifted his head, he had to look into her eyes, he owed her that much.

"I… I thought you were a genius?" The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.

The tiny gesture seemed to calm Sylvester just enough so that he felt he could breathe again. "I really like you, Florence," he said. "I enjoy your company and… and I miss your company. When Megan passed…" his voice cracked and he took a moment to compose himself.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"When I lost Megan," he continued eventually. "I never thought I'd want to share my life with anyone else, but then I realised Megan wouldn't have wanted me to be alone forever and… and I started to think about being with someone else. I like being your friend and spending time with you, so I started to wonder if… if our friendship could become something more. I wanted to ask you out on a date. I tried so many times, but… but I just couldn't. I don't know why, I just couldn't."

"I'm… I'm sorry I made you… so anxious," replied Florence.

"Oh, it's not your fault at all," insisted Sylvester. "I guess when I found out about the lecture you went to with Walter…"

"Walter and I are… we're just friends," said Florence. She tried to move her shoulders, but the movement set of a wave of pain and she whimpered and closed her eyes.

"Should I get a nurse?" asked Sylvester with concern.

"No, I just need… a minute…" she said, turning her head slightly. "I have… a button to push."

Sylvester followed her eyeline and realised she was able to administer her own pain relief. He slipped the device into her hand and she squeezed, letting out a slow sigh as her pain began to ease.

"M…maybe we should talk about this later?" suggested Sylvester. He hated seeing her like this. She'd just had major surgery, she was in pain, this wasn't the time.

"No, please, it's OK," replied Florence. Her voice was a little stronger now as the effects of the drugs kicked in. "Let me speak before this wears off again. I… I need you to know that what I said about… about my feelings for Walter that day… I've never had feelings for anyone before."

"No-one? Ever?"

"Never," confirmed Florence.

Sylvester was shocked. He was very inexperienced himself, despite having been married, but he did know what it was like when your heart skipped a beat when a girl walked into the room.

Mary McBride at high school had stood up to the bullies for him in science class once and for the next few weeks Sylvester had taken an extra minute to comb his hair in the morning. Then there was Janet, a waitress at a diner he used to go to sometimes - when his anxiety allowed him to – who would give him extra fries, or a free shake. And when Scorpion had taken a week long job – in the early days - upgrading the computer system at a large firm of accountants one of the trainees had smiled at him on the first day and the rest of the week had been more enjoyable because of it.

"It must be… confusing for you," offered Sylvester.

"It… was," she replied. "I was confused, but I'm not any more. I should never have said what I said. My feelings were… well, not those kind of feelings. Not in the way I made it sound. You see, I've never had real friends before and then Walter asked to take me to a lecture. No one's ever done anything like that before and… and then he chose to spend more time with me, he valued my opinion on his work and I guess I misunderstood the way it made me feel."

"How did it make you feel?"

"Not as worthless as I thought I was," replied Florence.

Sylvester had to stifle an audible gasp. He had no idea she felt that way. Her mask had been strong, now he was seeing it slip for the first time. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Your friendship helped too," continued Florence. "I started to think about being with someone like you, but…"

"Someone _like_ me…"

Florence closed her eyes as she tried to make sense of her own feelings. "You were kind to me," she replied. "When I first moved in, when Walter really hated me…"

"He never hated you, that's just the way he is sometimes."

"Well, it seemed that way to me and it was what I had come to expect from people," replied Florence. "You and Toby were the only ones who seemed to understand me in those first few weeks."

Sylvester shrugged. "I guess I recognised something in you," he explained. "You've struggled to fit into society, just like me, like all of us."

"I thought I had friends before, but they were just waiting for the right moment to steal my company away from me," said Florence. "I worked so hard to build up that business, it was my life, but they didn't care and…" she trailed off as tears flooded her eyes.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," said Sylvester. He pulled a tissue from the box on the side and carefully dried her eyes for her. "I'm so sorry all of this has happened to you."

"It's not your fault," replied Florence. "I shouldn't have enjoyed spending time with Walter. I knew it was wrong, I didn't understand why he wanted to keep the lecture secret from Paige, but I respected his wishes. I thought he knew best."

"Walter knows a lot of things, but he doesn't always know best when it comes to Paige," said Sylvester. "I think he might get better at it now though."

"Are they…?"

"I don't really know," replied Sylvester with a shrug. "And now he and Cabe are stuck in the desert with Collins and…"

"They're still there?"

Sylvester nodded. "We've heard nothing. We don't have a plan yet. I guess we were all just worried about you."

Another tear ran down Florence's cheek. "I need to talk to Paige."

"You need to rest," replied Sylvester, shaking his head. "Get your strength back first. I think Paige understands now. She's had a tough time beating herself up about what happened, but she's getting through it and I know she'll want to talk to you, but not yet. Not like this."

Florence nodded slowly. "Maybe you're right," she whispered.

"Paige has arranged to get you flown home," Sylvester explained. "And we'll pay for your care, you'll need PT and…

"What about you? What about Walter and Cabe?" Florence didn't care about her recovery right now, not while her friends were in danger.

"We're… well, we might be in a little trouble," replied Sylvester. "But you don't need to worry about us. We'll figure it out and we'll rescue Walt and Cabe and we'll send Collins back to jail. You'll see. Scorpion never fails."

"Scorpion? I thought you guys were Centipede now?"

Sylvester shook his head. "I think we're done with Centipede," he said. "We're back together now… and together we're Scorpion."

 _To be continued…_


	20. Chapter 20 - It's Over

**Two surprise visitors help the team with their plans to rescue Walter and Cabe, but there's no time to waste as Collins gets more and more dangerous.**

 _ **This chapter is a little longer than the others, but there's so much to cover and I just couldn't stop! Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story. I really appreciate all your reviews more than I can say. They keep me going, so thank you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

 **CHAPTER 20.**

"Mom, we should go to the embassy."

Paige stopped pacing long enough to shoot a puzzled look at her son. Her head was spinning, there was so much going on she couldn't focus on anything. She tried to clear her head and make sense of her son's words. "You were dead against the idea a few hours ago. What's changed?" she asked.

"We know Florence is going to be OK now," replied Ralph, turning his phone over and over in his hands as he spoke. "I've been trying to find a way to contact Walter, but the cell network here is appalling and I can't access any of the protected channels. I've boosted the signal as much as I can, but it's no good. The embassy will have a computer I can use and we can access their secure network and the government files on Collins and..."

"Hack into government files?" exclaimed Paige. "We're already in enough trouble as it is!"

"I know," agreed Ralph. "So what difference will it make? Don't you want us to rescue Walter?"

Paige frowned at just how easy he found it to use her emotions to manipulate her. Of course she wasn't going to say no to that and he knew it. "OK, OK, we'll go to the embassy."

Then she noticed Toby and Happy walk back into the waiting room. They were holding hands and Toby looked a lot happier than he had half an hour ago. Paige realised now that she'd been leaning on Toby far too much, expecting him to solve all her problems and she hadn't even considered what he was going through. She made a mental note to apologise as soon as they were out of this mess and remind him that if he needed someone to talk to she was still there for him as a friend.

"Where's Sly?" asked Happy, looking around the room. The sun had started to rise and the hospital seemed less oppressive to her as the light flooded in through the windows. There was more activity than there had been during the night and all the different people walking around made her uncomfortable. She knew at any minute the Egyptian authorities could arrive and haul them all off to jail for entering the country illegally. For now she tried to focus on their more immediate issues.

"Sly's talking to Florence," explained Paige.

"Oh to be a fly on the wall," noted Toby, raising his eyebrows.

"It's either gonna fix him, or make it all worse," noted Happy.

"Hey, I've got faith in the Sly Dog," said Toby. "He's had four weeks to figure out what he wants to say to her. He'll be OK once he's cleared up the little misunderstanding."

Ralph sighed. "I really thought Sly was in love with Florence," he said. "I thought they'd be cute together."

"Hey, Ralphy-boy," said Toby, crouching down in front of the young genius' chair. "Feelings aren't always easy to figure out, especially for people like us. Sly loves her, but not in the way he thought he did. And Flo... well, Flo needs to figure out a few things of her own before she's ready to fall in love with anyone and I'm sorry to say that person was never gonna be Sly. And before you say it, it ain't Walter either." He glanced up knowingly at Paige who managed a small smile.

"Ralph thinks we should go to the embassy after all," Paige explained. "He thinks we might be able to contact Walter from there."

"Hmmm, kid might be right," agreed Happy. "Sitting around here doing nothing is driving me nuts anyway."

"If Walt can find a way to make contact he will," said Toby. "We can't risk flying back out there on a rescue mission without knowing what's happening inside that complex. Collins could have the whole place rigged to go ka-boom if we get within a mile of the perimeter, who knows? He's more unpredictable than ever."

Paige swallowed hard. She'd been trying to stay positive, holding onto the hope that Walter and Cabe were safe, but Toby was right. Collins was completely unpredictable. His crazy plan to get them all here - the kidnappings and the bombs, not to mention his apologies and his declaration of loneliness – none of it made any sense and no one could figure out what was going through his head.

"OK, let's grab Sly and get out of here," said Happy.

"Grab me?"

They all spun round at the sound of Sylvester's voice to see him hurrying back along the corridor.

"Relax, we don't mean in the Collins sense of the word," said Paige. Then her voice became softer. "How's Florence?" she asked.

Sylvester swallowed. "She's… she's doing OK," he replied. "We… we talked. It was… it was good. We're good. We're all good."

Paige reached out and gently touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Sly, I'm so sorry about all of this."

Sylvester nodded appreciatively. "She wants to talk to you," he explained. "But I said it could wait until she's feeling better."

"Thank you," replied Paige. "I'm really not ready for that conversation. Not yet."

"I know," replied Sylvester with a supportive smile. "If it helps, she was almost as confused about her feelings for Walter as I was about mine for her. She's… she's never had real friends before and she didn't know how to process the way it made her feel."

"Sounds like a few other people I know," replied Paige, looking knowingly from Sylvester, to Happy, then to Toby and Ralph. "I owe her an apology, I know I do, but I can't… I can't even think about any of that while Walter is still in danger."

"Miss Dineen?" It was one of the nurses who'd spoken to them earlier. "You have visitors."

"What? Who?" Paige's heart started pounding. "Walter?" She stumbled forward a few steps, looking desperately past the nurse. It couldn't be… could it? Had they found a way to escape already?

"Pam!"

Paige's heart sank. It wasn't Walter at all, it was… "Ray?"

"Geez, you guys really know how to stay under the radar," grinned Ray, striding past the nurse.

The others stood in stunned silence. Ray was the last person they'd expected to see, but here he was as large as life, munching his way through a bar of chocolate as he spoke.

"Don't tell me, you were just passing Egypt and thought you'd drop in and say hi?" offered Toby.

"Funny, Terry, funny," replied Ray, pointing his finger at Toby. "No, actually I was worried. You all disappeared off the face of the earth without telling your old pal Ray where you were going. Not good, people, not good." He winked at Happy as he used her favourite saying. She didn't even have the energy to scowl at him.

"How did you get here?" asked Ralph. "How did you find us?"

"Well I ran into another one of your old buddies at the garage," explained Ray. "Why have you never introduced us before, Pam? All billionaires need Ray in their lives!"

"Introduced you to who?" asked Paige, but then she was suddenly aware of someone else walking along the corridor. She blinked hard, but her eyes weren't deceiving her, it was Richard Elia. "Richard!" she exclaimed. Suddenly things were starting to make a little more sense.

"Paige," beamed Richard. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt and he looked relieved to see her. "I'm so glad we've found you. When you didn't show up to our meeting I went to your new office, but there was no one there. I tried calling and calling and then I figured Walter might know where you were so I went to the garage and that's where I met Ray here and we realised something was wrong. It took a while and a lot of calling in favours to track you down and the more I discovered the more I realised you were in a lot of trouble, so I thought the best thing to do was fly out here and see what I could do to help. Where is Walter, anyway?"

Toby took a deep breath. "I think you'd better sit down."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Exciting, isn't it!"

Cabe sneered at Collins. "Woo-hoo," he remarked, dryly. "There, am I excited enough for you?"

Walter frowned at him. Even he had recognised the sarcasm. Had Cabe forgotten their plan already? They were supposed to be showing an interest in Mark's projects, going along with his plans, not goading him into a potentially dangerous reaction.

"Oh, Cabe," replied Collins with a sigh. "I thought we were starting to bond."

Cabe cleared his throat. "Sorry," he replied, through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry, just leave all the complicated science-y stuff to me and Walter," replied Collins in a patronising tone. "Now, I think we need to have a little chat."

Cabe tensed. The sudden change of tone filled him with anxiety.

"A… about what, Mark?" asked Walter, calmly.

"About the three of us," replied Collins. "Living together like this. It's not really working out, is it."

"What? We've only b…b…been here for one day," replied Walter. "We're just getting used to each other. Like… like you said, you and I can work together, we've done it before. You… you can't blame us for being a little apprehensive."

Collins sighed. "We can achieve so much, Walter, but if you don't trust me it won't work."

"It's not easy!" exclaimed Walter.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't have your room bugged?" he asked.

Cabe's heart sank. Walter had seemed so confident about his plan, but it looked like Collins was even smarter than they thought.

Walter looked apologetically at Cabe. "But Mark, I… I thought after all the talk about trust…"

"You have to earn my trust," barked Collins.

"Works both ways," noted Cabe, dryly.

"Well I heard you plotting to get a message out to your little friends, but I guess even the great Walter O'Brien couldn't hack his way into my computer system. Even so, there will be consequences."

Cabe narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning, Collins?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm still thinking," snapped Collins. He began pacing around in a circle, tapping his temple with his left forefinger.

Walter and Cabe looked at each other nervously. Cabe's hand drifted to his side and hovered over his gun. He had a clear shot, he could easily pull his weapon and take out Collins right here and now. He didn't have to kill him, a leg wound would be enough, he acknowledged. Just enough to stop him, but… Collins was unarmed. And Walter had begged him not to resort to violence. So Cabe flexed his fingers and reluctantly left his gun safely in its holster.

"Mark?" prompted Walter.

Collins stopped pacing. "The thing is, Walter, I'm very disappointed in you," he said. "I thought we'd reached an understanding."

"I'm sorry, Mark, I had to try," said Walter. "It… it won't happen again."

"I wish I could believe you, Walter," Collins answered, shaking his head. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock you both in your room. And as there's clearly no trust between us I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your weapon, Cabe."

"What? No!" exclaimed Cabe. "You honestly think I'm gonna give you my gun? You're crazier than I thought!"

"You see?" retorted Collins. "You see, Walter? He's back to insulting me already! Give it to me, Cabe, now, or… or you'll be sorry."

Cabe shook his head. "Is that supposed to scare me?" he asked, stepping closer to Collins. "An empty threat? I'm shaking in my boots!"

"Believe me, it's not an empty threat," insisted Collins, menacingly.

"Give it to him," said Walter, quietly. He had no idea what other tricks Collins had up his sleeve and the last thing they wanted was to push him into doing something really stupid. Walter didn't want Collins armed any more than Cabe did, but for now they had little choice.

"What?" Cabe couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Please."

"You're as crazy as he is!"

"Perhaps," agreed Walter, glancing up briefly to see the smug grin on Collins' face.

"Thank you, Walter," said Collins. He reached out his hand and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Cabe glared at Walter before reluctantly handing over his weapon. "Don't worry, I don't intend to use it. Now, go to your room," he ordered with a chuckle.

Collins marched them back to their room and engaged the electronic lock on the door.

"I can't just sit around here like a caged animal!" exclaimed Cabe, slamming his fist angrily against the wall. "It didn't occur to you the bastard would have this room bugged?"

To Cabe's surprise a smile crossed Walter's lips. Cabe narrowed his eyes. "You…" he began, but he trailed off as he suddenly realised Walter had a plan. "So… now what?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Now we wait," replied Walter, calmly.

"For what?" asked Cabe.

But Walter didn't reply. Instead he pressed a single forefinger to his lips and winked.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"It's all arranged." Richard walked back into the waiting room with his phone in his hand. "My old friend says we're welcome on his estate and he's promised to get the authorities off your backs. It's amazing what a little money can get you around here."

"So we don't need to go to the embassy?" asked Ralph. "I assume your friend has a computer we can use?"

"He has several," replied Richard with a smile. "He's the head of a huge multinational tech company. We should be rivals, but he's such a great guy. You'll love Anthony's place, it's huge. A real life oasis in the desert. Swimming pool, tennis court…"

"We're not here on vacation," snapped Happy.

"I know, I'm sorry," replied Richard, sheepishly. "Now, you mentioned something about a helicopter?"

The property was about forty minutes' flight from Cairo. Sylvester spent the entire journey with his eyes closed, squeezing Patty's hand tightly. He made a silent promise to himself that he would never - _ever_ \- get into another helicopter again, even with Happy at the controls. He knew, of course, that he would break his own promise, but for now it brought him some level of comfort.

It wasn't long before the helicopter was touching down on the landing pad at Richard's friend home. The team had admired the sprawling estate as they'd flown in and Toby was already wondering if he and Happy would be able to stay on for a while after all this was over.

"Tony!" Richard smiled broadly as he climbed out of the helicopter to meet his old friend.

"Good to see you, Dickie!"

Toby sniggered and Happy elbowed him in the ribs. "Come on, he called him Dickie!" protested Toby, but Happy ignored him.

Richard quickly introduced everyone and they hurried inside the opulent mansion to get out of the blazing sun.

"My home is your home," smiled Anthony. "Use whatever you need to help your people. This Mark Collins guy sounds like a piece of work."

"That's an understatement," noted Happy.

"Excuse me," said Patty. "I'm kinda tired. Is there someplace I can take a nap?"

"Sounds like a great Idea," said Toby. "Paige, why don't you do the same?"

"No way," replied Paige, with determination and she turned away from Toby.

Toby pressed his lips together, Paige was close to breaking point again, he just hoped she could hold on a little longer.

"Up the main staircase, turn left, past the Victorian bathroom," said Anthony, smiling at Patty. "The royal guest suite is all yours, honey."

"You OK?" Ralph asked her with concern as she turned towards the stairs.

Patty nodded. "Just exhausted," she said. "Promise you'll wake me if you hear anything from Walter and Cabe." Ralph nodded and she disappeared up the stairs.

"Plenty of ice cream in the freezer, kiddo," said Anthony, turning Ralph. "I'll get you some, what's your favourite? Chocolate, I bet."

"I'd prefer to see your office," replied Ralph, seriously. "I'd like to start scanning small bandwidth carriers for any messages from Walter. It's the simplest way to transmit data without being detected and Walter would have tried it first. If that doesn't work we'll have to try other options."

Anthony's eyes widened and he looked at Richard. "I guess ice cream can wait," he noted.

Richard grinned. "Told you they were geniuses," he said.

"I'll have ice cream, please," said Ray. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? It's hot in Europe!" he protested.

"We're in Africa, Ray," Sylvester pointed out.

"Since when?"

Sylvester shook his head in despair and they followed Anthony towards the east wing of his mansion which housed his suite of offices. "I'll search for more intel on Collins," he said as they walked.

"He's been on the run for a year, there must be something out there," agreed Toby.

"Wow!" Ralph's eyes lit up as they entered the office. The large room was equipped with more technology than he'd ever seen in his life. "Mom," he said, turning to Paige. "I want a room like this!"

Paige laughed and each of the geniuses ran to a desk and set to work.

"I'll get you the wi-fi password," said Anthony.

"No need," replied Sylvester with a shrug as his fingers began to fly over the keyboard of the top of the range computer he was working on.

"Sorry," said Paige, apologetically. "They do this kind of thing a lot."

"Collins scammed the chopper from this rental company," said Sylvester pointing to his screen.

"See if you can find me CCTV footage, anything I can use for profiling," said Toby.

"He must have a weakness, something he considers precious," suggested Richard. "Like the time my daughter was kidnapped. That Mexican cartel knew I'd do anything to get her back. Luckily they didn't know about Scorpion. Talking of Scorpion, are you guys…?" he let his sentence hang.

"We're… we're back together," Paige confirmed.

"What about the contract I signed with Centipede Partners?" asked Richard.

"Have your people call my people," said Toby. "Maybe when we're not in the middle of a kinda sticky situation?"

"I found the original plans for the sewage plant," said Happy. "I'll look for a weakness in the construction we can exploit."

"There could be a secret tunnel!" exclaimed Toby. "Please say there's a secret tunnel!"

"I think I'll leave you guys to it," said Anthony. "Dickie, I'll be by the pool if your people need anything."

"So, Pam, how you holding up?" asked Ray. They were the only two in the room not staring at a computer screen. "I never figured the break-up would last this long. What were you guys thinking?"

Paige forced a smile onto her lips and shrugged. She didn't want Ray to know just how bad things had got. She didn't want him to know about her 'episodes', about how she'd spent every night crying herself to sleep, about how, as Centipede picked up contract after contract all she'd wanted to do was run away and leave it all behind.

"But it's all cool now, right?" prompted Ray.

Paige nodded. "Cool," she agreed. It was all she was prepared to give right now, but it was enough for Ray who flung his arm round her shoulder and smiled warmly.

They stayed like that for a while and Paige tried to focus her thoughts. She was grateful for Ray's company, even Richard had jumped on a computer and was helping with the search. As she watched them all become engrossed in the flickering lights on the computer screens she had never felt so alone in her life. She wanted Walter back. She needed him. And she needed to know that Mark Collins would never hurt them again. She felt her eyes getting heavy and her head slumped onto Ray's shoulder.

"Mom!" Paige was snatched from her sleep by the sound of Ralph's voice. "I think we've got something! It's Walter! It's in code… wait… Sly? You getting this?"

"Got it," acknowledged Sylvester without taking his eyes of his computer screen. "He's piggybacked the message onto something else… wait… I know what this is!"

"Oh, nice one, O'Brien," smiled Happy as she looked over Ralph's shoulder.

"What?" asked Richard, urgently.

"Tell you on the way!" replied Sylvester, grabbing the laptop and getting to his feet. "I hate to say this, but we need to get back in the helicopter. Walter and Cabe could be in big trouble."

"Oh god, no!" exclaimed Paige.

"Don't worry, Mom," Ralph tried to reassure her as they all rushed out of the room. "We're on it. We've got this."

xXxXxXxxXxXxXx

"Did you hear that?" Walter sat bold upright on the bed and glanced at Cabe.

"Sure did," replied Cabe. "Sounded like the door…" he paused, not quite sure whether to believe his ears. He tentatively reached out and tried the door handle and it opened. "It's unlocked!"

"Not just this door," replied Walter, a small smile dancing at the corners of his mouth. "The whole security system is down."

"So, we can get out of here?" asked Cabe, his eyes wide at the prospect.

"Not so fast. What did you do, Walter?"

Cabe's heart sank at the sound of Collins' voice. Collins' hair was even wilder than usual and his eyes conveyed so much anger that it sent a chill down Cabe's spine.

Walter got to his feet. "How could I do anything? I… I've been locked in here for hours."

Cabe spotted his gun tucked into Collins' belt and he considered jumping at him, tackling him to the floor and grabbing the weapon, but he quickly realised how badly wrong that could go in a confined space.

"You did this!" yelled Collins. "You've ruined everything, Walter! You had your chance at greatness and you blew it. You blew it to be with him," he jerked his head towards Cabe. "And those other morons masquerading as geniuses. And Paige. Good god, Paige. She's so dumb, Walter, so dumb!"

And that was it, Walter snapped.

He lunged at Collins, knocking him out of the room and sending them both sprawling onto the floor. Collins tried to fight back, landing a punch to the side of Walter's head, but Cabe was there in an instant, grabbing Collins under the arm and hauling him over onto his side, restraining him with a knee in his back. He glanced up at Walter, who staggered backwards, stunned by the impact of what had just happened.

"Son?"

Collins took advantage of the distraction and kicked out at Cabe, who fell backwards, clutching his chest.

"Cabe!" yelled Walter, rushing to his side and helping him to his knees.

"Oh, how sweet," said Collins. He was on his feet now and to Walter and Cabe's horror he held the gun in his outstretched arm.

"You won't shoot me," insisted Walter. "I know you, Mark. This is not who you are. We can help you. We can get you the best doctors, whatever you need."

Collins threw his head back and laughed. "I don't need doctors!" he exclaimed. "Doctors don't understand me, just look at Tobias. He doesn't have a clue about how my mind works!"

"Put the gun down," urged Cabe, putting all his years of experience and training into practice to keep the situation as calm as possible. "Listen to Walter, he cares about you."

Collin's gun carrying hand was shaking now and Cabe pushed himself to his feet, but he didn't have the strength to do anything else. The gun wavered and Collins gritted his teeth. Sweat started to pour down his face and his breathing became shallow and rapid.

Walter froze, but then the sound of a helicopter broke the silence.

Collins turned towards the sound and then back to look Walter in the eye. Walter was stunned to see tears rolling down his cheeks. "Why?" asked Collins in a quiet voice. "What a waste, Walter, what a waste. You and me… we could have… we could have…" but he couldn't finish his sentence and he lowered the gun to his side.

"It's over, Mark," said Walter, softly. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Collins nodded and looked down at the gun in his hand.

"Don't do anything stupid," urged Cabe. He'd been in situations like this before and too many had ended badly.

Collins shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm not about to shoot myself," he said. He wiped his wet face with his other hand and then turned away from them. He began turning the gun over and over in his hands and clicking the safety catch on and off.

"Please give me the gun," begged Walter.

"It's not fair!" wailed Collins, twisting himself back round to face them. "It's not fair! No one understands me!" he yelled, his face red with anger. "No one!" And before either Cabe or Walter could stop him, he threw the gun at the wall… and it went off.

 _To be continued..._


	21. Chapter 21 - Blood Brothers

**The team race to save a life, but some things have to end.**

 _ **This isn't the final chapter, there will be one more, but the action reaches its climax in this chapter. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. Reviews have tailed off and I understand why - it's a long story and interest naturally falls away, especially now the show is no longer on the air - but to everyone who has followed the journey I've taken these characters on so far, thank you and if you could spare a moment to leave a review for this chapter I would be eternally grateful.**_

 **Warning: If you're a little squeamish there's a lot of blood in the first scene!**

 **Chapter 21**

"I'm telling you it was a gunshot!"

Happy momentarily twisted round in her seat. "Sly, we haven't even landed yet!" she yelled. She shot Toby a worried glance before turning back around and carefully bringing the helicopter into land.

"How can you hear anything over this noise?" shouted Richard as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Sylvester gripped Richard's arm. "My hearing is fine-tuned, particularly to gunshots," he explained. "I know what I heard."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Sewage Plant Resort, Egypt's premier vacation destination," announced Toby, trying to diffuse the tension. "I hope you all enjoyed your flight." He glanced at Paige, but she didn't make eye contact.

"Mom!" said Ralph. "C'mon! The security system is disabled. Let's go get Walter and Cabe out of there!"

Paige turned to her son. "I… I want you to stay here, please," she begged. "I'm… I'm scared."

"Mom, I can't do that," he replied. "I mean, I want you to be safe too, but you're not gonna stay here are you?"

Paige clasped her hand to her mouth. Her son… her little boy… he was so grown up. She couldn't protect him anymore.

Ray nudged her arm. "Hey, Pam," he said. "Y'know, we had an old saying when I was in the fire and rescue business – 'Fear is the path to the dark side'."

Sylvester's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You're quoting Star Wars!" he exclaimed.

Ray frowned in confusion. "I'm sure it was one of my old station house Captains," he said, pushing open the door.

"There's Cabe!" exclaimed Happy, jumping out of the helicopter, but she stopped dead in her tracks as he got closer. His white shirt was covered in blood and Happy had to fight a wave of nausea.

Sylvester ducked low to avoid the rotor blades as he climbed out, but he stopped beside Happy when he saw Cabe's shirt. "Oh, no, I was right! Cabe's been shot!" he exclaimed. He immediately felt his chest tightening. He had no idea what had happened in that building, but he knew he couldn't afford to panic now.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

His urge to pass out almost got the better of him, but Happy grabbed him by the arm.

"Don't," she hissed. "If I can stay upright, so can you."

Everyone raced across the sand towards Cabe.

"Cabe! Oh, my god!" exclaimed Paige, who was the first to reach him. She clutched his arm and stared at the blood as the others caught up with her.

"I'm OK, I'm OK," insisted Cabe. "It's not mine."

Paige felt her world fall apart.

 _Walter…_

She wasn't sure if the sound of his name had come out of her mouth, or if it was just spinning around in the swirling mist that was enveloping her thoughts.

 _Walter…_

She stumbled forward as her knees buckled and Cabe caught her in his arms.

"No… please… no…"

"Hey, Walter's fine," said Cabe, but she didn't seem to hear him. "Paige!" he half-yelled at her, but he didn't have time to spare. Instead he turned to Toby.

"It's Collins," he explained. "He shot himself, close range… an accident, he's in a bad way, Doc."

Richard and Ray gently pulled Paige away from Cabe and they followed behind as Cabe led everyone back inside, quickly explaining the details of what had happened as they ran.

No one was prepared for the sight that met their eyes.

"So… much… blood…" Happy swallowed hard and gripped Sylvester even tighter as the words caught in her throat.

Mark was sprawled on his back on the cold floor. A pool of red glistened at his side and his skin was pale and grey.

Walter was kneeling beside him, his hands were covered in blood and he was pressing a soaked towel over Collins' abdomen.

Toby dropped to his knees and pressed two fingers to Collins' neck. "Pulse is racing," he said, urgently. "His heart's trying to compensate for the blood loss."

Toby knew Collins was in a very serious situation and his own heart quickened as his genius mind searched for a way to save him.

"Walter!" Paige ran towards them, wrapping her arms around Walter from behind. She had barely noticed Collins, barely noticed the blood, all that mattered to her was Walter.

He was alive.

Walter leaned into her touch. He wanted desperately to hold her, to feel her body against his… her warmth, her love… but he couldn't, not now. Mark's life was slipping away and he couldn't allow that to happen, not after everything. They had to do something. There had to be a way.

He briefly turned to look at her. "Paige…" Then he pushed her away.

She stumbled backwards, stunned at his reaction. Richard grabbed her by the shoulders. "Let's get out of their way," he suggested and he dragged Paige towards the doorway where Happy and Sylvester were standing.

"I… I… tried to stop the bleeding," said Walter as Ray, Cabe and Ralph gathered round. "I packed the wound with… with filtration material from the plumbing system." He slowly lifted the towel and Toby could see his improvised dressing had worked.

"Super absorbent and it expands," noted Toby. "Nice work, One Ninety Seven." He quickly replaced the towel and nodded to Ralph. "Can you keep pressure on this, buddy?" he asked.

Ralph nodded and knelt beside Toby while he showed him what to do.

"I… I don't know if I did enough," replied Walter quietly as Toby continued to examine Collins. "It happened so fast. This… this is a…a…all my fault." He looked up at Cabe. "I made you hand over your gun."

"It was an accident," Cabe insisted. "He didn't mean to fire it, especially not into his own gut. Don't blame yourself, son."

"The chopper's ready to go," said Happy. "Load him up, I know the way to the hospital," she added with a hint of irony.

"He's lost a lot of blood," replied Toby, spreading his hands out in front of him. "His BP is way down. We can't risk moving him until we stabilise him… somehow..."

"What do we do?" asked Ray. "How do we Scorpion his blood pressure back up?"

It was only then that Walter became aware of Ray's presence. "What? When… when did you get here?" he asked.

"Tell you all about it later, Wally," Ray promised. "After we save your friend here."

"Mark's not… I… I mean, he was m…m…my friend once, but…" Walter couldn't think straight. What was he to Mark now? Were they ever really friends at all? He didn't understand any of it.

"He's going into shock," announced Toby, suddenly, as Collins started to shake uncontrollably. "We need to keep him warm."

Cabe ran off and returned moments later with blankets from the beds he and Walter had slept in the night before. As he wrapped them around Collins, Toby gave him a shot of adrenaline and within seconds Collins had stopped shaking and Toby let out a slow breath.

They were used to beating really low odds, but if he had to put a figure on it Toby would have given Collins a less than five per cent chance of survival. Then he remembered that was exactly the odds he'd given Cabe when his aorta had been severed and on that occasion the team had come together and beaten the odds to save him. But this was Mark Collins. Somehow this felt completely different.

Walter looked at Toby's medical bags. As well as the one he used to have, he now also carried a larger red case full of the additional medical equipment Paige had purchased in the name of Centipede Partners.

Toby noticed him studying the case and realised it had reminded Walter of the break-up of Scorpion, of just how much Paige setting up Centipede within days of them all walking out of the garage had hurt him. Toby fought a pang of guilt, took a deep breath and focussed his mind on his patient. "He needs IV fluids, but I used the only bag I had on Florence," he explained.

"He needs blood," noted Walter.

"I'll call an Uber and head over to the blood-bank," retorted Toby.

"We have blood," replied Walter. "At least, I do." He began rolling up his sleeve.

Toby's eyes widened in disbelief. "Woah, wait a second there, Walt," he said. "Are you talking about a direct person to person transfusion?"

"Come on, Toby, I'm O-negative," Walter reminded him. "Universal match."

"I know, pal, but…"

"You want Toby to connect you up to Collins? Straight into a vein?" Cabe interrupted him. "Is that even possible?"

"We're talking hardcore field medicine here," explained Toby.

"Are you saying you can't do it?" asked Walter.

Toby frowned. "No, of course I can do it, but… are you sure you want me to?"

"It's Mark's only chance," replied Walter. "Are… are you going to help me, or… or do I have to do it myself?"

"Walt, you know there are risks…"

"Toby, please, we have to try."

Toby nodded seriously and starting pulling equipment from his bag.

Ray slapped Walter on the arm affectionately. "You're a good man, Wally," he said.

"What do you need, Doc?" asked Happy from across the room. "Some kind of pump?"

"Just a chair and some narrow tubing," replied Toby. "Person to person transfusion is gravity fed," he explained gesticulating as he spoke. "So we get Walt's arm higher than Mark's and gravity does the rest."

"There's more of that tubing from the fire extinguisher that you used on Florence's knee," said Happy and she raced back to the helicopter to get it, grateful for the chance to be out in the fresh air.

Minutes later the makeshift apparatus was all set up. Toby looked at Walter. "Ready?" he asked, tapping Walter's arm with his fingertips to find a vein. Walter nodded and Toby carefully inserted the needle. As the blood started to flow, Walter closed his eyes and tried to make sense of the events of the last forty eight hours.

How had it come to this? What did it all mean? His world had already been turned upside down ever since Paige and the others had walked out on him. Now, just as they were starting to rebuild everything this had happened. What had Mark really been trying to do? Had he honestly thought the two of them could stay here in this place forever, making life-changing scientific discoveries? It was crazy. Totally and utterly crazy.

Toby studied Walter for a moment. Walter needed Paige, she was always the one person he could lean on when he was struggling emotionally, but Toby didn't know if Paige was in any position to help. He glanced up to see Richard grasping her hand tightly, telling her not to worry and realised she would be of no use to Walter right now.

Instead he looked at Ray and raised his eyebrows slightly. "I need to you keep an eye on Walt," he said in a low, serious tone. Ray didn't need to hear any more and gave a nod of understanding before moving to Walter's side. Toby sometimes forgot how easy it was to communicate with people with a high EQ like Ray and he couldn't help but smile as Ray put a supportive hand on Walter's shoulder.

"Cabe, keep a check on Collins' pulse, it should be slowing down," said Toby.

"Copy that," replied Cabe.

Toby glanced at Walter. "You OK, pal?" he asked and Walter nodded. Toby wasn't sure that Walter's definition of 'OK' matched his at that moment, but there was no time to worry about his friend's state of mind now. "Sly, I need you to do some math," he continued. "We don't want to drain Walt like a vampire."

"Take as much as Mark needs," insisted Walter.

"Sure and then you'll be the one on the floor," replied Toby, rolling his eyes. "This is my call, Walter. Now shut up and relax. You might start to feel a little woozy."

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Wake up, pal. I got you some more O.J."

Walter's eyes flickered open and he tried to focus on Toby's face. It took a moment for his senses to process the bright lights and the sterile smell, then he remembered they were at the hospital in Cairo. He must have fallen asleep in the chair. He turned his head to one side to see that Paige had done exactly the same thing. He looked back at Toby, realising he was still waiting for a response. "I… I… I don't want juice."

"You gotta drink it," replied Toby, pulling the straw from the side of the carton and puncturing the top before handing it to Walter. "Your blood pressure's low and your body needs the vitamins. Now drink, doctor's orders. And eat another energy bar."

Walter reluctantly took the carton and sipped the juice. "Is there any news?" he asked.

"He's out of surgery," Toby replied. "In the ICU. Next twenty four hours will be critical."

Walter nodded. He felt numb. He should be happy that Mark was still alive… shouldn't he? Only hours earlier he'd given his own blood to save the man's life, but now… now he just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and for it all to be over. He sipped more juice as Cabe strode back into the waiting area.

"Local cops are outside his room," he explained. "Homeland are sending agents to guard him until he's fit enough to travel."

"Sure, 'coz he could leap outta that ICU bed at any minute," retorted Happy, sarcastically.

"Darlin', this is Mark Collins we're talking about," Toby reminded her. "I wouldn't put anything past him."

Happy shrugged. She had never hated anyone as much as she hated Mark Collins right now. She hoped the only place he would be going when he left the hospital – if he left the hospital – would be back to the cell where he deserved to spend the rest of his life. She sighed, Toby was right, with Collins they couldn't be sure of anything and it was mentally exhausting. She had been fighting fatigue by pacing up and down while Walter had been dozing, but now she'd stopped pacing she felt physically exhausted too and the idea of relaxing in the pool at Anthony's sprawling estate had suddenly flashed into her mind and it was almost overwhelming.

Richard had already taken Ralph and Ray back to the mansion to wait with Patty for news. Ralph was exhausted and Paige had insisted he go. Ray had promised Paige he would take good care of her son and Paige trusted Ray. She had no idea why, but she did. She knew her son would be OK, even though she had the feeling Ray was planning on making the most of their host's hospitality.

Sylvester had almost asked to go with them. He hadn't wanted to spend another minute in the hospital and he was feeling guilty about leaving Patty after everything she'd been through - although with hindsight he was glad she'd stayed behind with Anthony during all the drama with Collins - but he just couldn't bring himself to leave Walter.

"So, when do we get outta this place, Cabe?" asked Happy.

"Whenever you're ready," replied Cabe. "I just spoke to Richard, he has a plane lined up for us. He said Patty's feeling better and Ray and Ralph have eaten all the ice-cream."

"I'm not leaving yet, I want to… to stay," said Walter. "I need to be here. I need to talk to him."

"The hell you do!" exclaimed Cabe.

The sudden outburst woke Paige. "What… what's happened?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Walt's lost his mind, that's what," retorted Happy. "He wants to see Collins."

"He what?" exclaimed Paige, suddenly very much awake.

"Mark Collins. The man who tried to kill Toby, have Cabe thrown in jail and break up your relationship," Sylvester reminded them all, not that they needed reminding.

"You know he wouldn't have killed Toby," insisted Walter.

"Oh, right, he just wanted to give me a skin peel," replied Toby, rolling his eyes. "Next time I get acne I'll know who to go to."

"Walter, let's just go home," urged Paige. "Please, I just want to put all of this behind us. We have so much lost time to make up for. We still have so much to talk about."

"We've got the… the rest of our lives to talk," replied Walter, grasping her hand tightly. "I… I just need a few more hours."

Paige gasped. _The rest of our lives…_

Sylvester stepped forward. "Walter, think about what he did to Patty and… and Florence," he said. "Florence is badly injured and it's Mark's fault."

Walter got to his feet. "I… I… know all the pain he's caused," he said. "Believe me… I know… but he's one of us. I owe him this much."

Toby threw his hands in the air. "He's a sociopath!" he exclaimed

"You don't owe him anything, boss," snapped Happy. "He's done everything he can to hurt us, all of us. For years. And he almost dragged you to hell with him. You can stay here with that psycho if you want to, but I'm outta here." She stormed over to the chair where she'd draped her jacket and picked it up. "You coming?" she snarled, glaring at Toby.

Toby didn't move. He said nothing, knowing he didn't have to. He locked his gaze with hers. She'd understand, he knew she would. She'd get it.

 _Any minute now…_

Happy opened her mouth to yell at him, but then their eyes locked.

And she understood.

What was she thinking? Was she really about to walk out on Walter… again? She let out a slow breath and threw her jacket back onto the chair. "Walt…" she began. "I'm sorry… OK? I'm not going anywhere."

Walter nodded. "I do understand," he said. "You and Collins… none of you spent as much time with him as I did."

"Because he's a basket case," noted Toby. "And yes, that's my official diagnosis."

Cabe had been quiet throughout the whole exchange. Neither he nor Paige had known Mark before Walter had had him committed, all they knew about him was what the others had told them and what they'd experienced over the last four years. And none of that was good.

"Son," began Cabe, in a sombre tone. "You know this guy better than anyone. You have a lot of history. If you need to stay, then we'll all stay."

"Yes," agreed Sylvester. "If you need us, we'll all stay." It was the last thing he wanted, but he would never walk out on Walter again. Never. He had to stay.

Walter looked around at them all and nodded appreciatively. No words could convey how he felt, he just nodded silently.

"How long before he's up to visitors?" Paige asked Toby.

Toby shrugged. "Not until the morning. That's if he makes it through the night."

Happy let out a slow breath. "Then I guess we'd better make ourselves comfortable."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Son, are you awake?"

"Yes," replied Walter. "What time is it?"

Cabe glanced at his watch. "Early," he said, swigging coffee from a plastic cup. "Or late, depending on your point of view. I think the jetlag might finally be kicking in."

Walter nodded and stretched. He glanced to his right to see Toby asleep with his head in Happy's lap. Happy was awake and they made eye contact. No words were needed.

To his left he could see Sylvester had somehow made himself comfortable across three chairs and was snoring lightly. Paige had slumped against Walter's arm and he was suddenly aware of pins and needles in his fingers. He carefully moved his shoulder, trying not to disturb her, but it didn't work and she opened her eyes.

"Collins?" she croaked.

"He… he's awake. He's going to be OK," replied Walter.

Paige didn't know how to react to that news. She managed a half smile and she slipped her hand into his, hoping he'd understand.

He smiled back at her and squeezed her hand before turning back to Cabe. "Was that the… the Homeland agents I saw you talking to just now?" he asked.

"Yep," Cabe confirmed. "They'll be guarding Collins' room and escorting him home as soon as he's cleared to fly."

Walter took a deep breath. "Then I'm going to… I need to…"

He couldn't even get the words out and he pressed his lips together in frustration. He knew the others didn't understand his reasoning – it wasn't the first time – but this was something he just had to do.

"O'Neill and Dalton are expecting you," replied Cabe. "Want me to come with you, son?"

Walter shook his head and stood up, reluctantly letting go of Paige's hand as he did so. "No," he replied curtly.

Happy nudged Toby awake as Walter walked away, ignoring his grumbling as he sat himself upright. She looked at Cabe and Paige. "Are we really gonna let him do this alone?" she asked.

She knew what the answer would be.

Along the corridor Walter heard the door click behind him as Agent Dalton closed it. Mark Collins was attached to an array of machines and the incessant noise of beeping filled the silence. He looked so… weak. So vulnerable. Walter had never seen him like this. Then he noticed the handcuffs attaching him to the bedrail. He swallowed hard, fighting a wave of guilt he knew was misplaced, but he couldn't help it.

"Mark…"

Collins' eyes opened and he turned his head slightly. An eerie smile crossed his lips. "Walter… you're here," he said. His voice was raspy, probably as the result of being ventilated, Walter realised.

"Yes."

"They told me… what you did for me…" continued Mark, pausing every few words to breathe. "I think we're... blood brothers now, Walter."

"What? No!" Walter stumbled back towards the door as fear washed over him. No… this was ridiculous. Mark had no hold over him, he'd never had any hold over him… at least, not in the way he thought.

Collins' brow furrowed. "Then… why?"

Walter fought to regain his composure. "You… you would have died otherwise," he tried to explain. "A…a…and Scorpion saves everyone."

Collins smiled again, his eyes brighter now. "Scorpion," he whispered. "The team."

"My team," snapped Walter. He didn't even want Mark to say the word _Scorpion_. He didn't have the right. "Despite everything you…you've tried to do to destroy us."

"I was just… trying to do the best… for you, Walter," replied Collins.

"The best thing for you, you mean."

Collins eyes closed. "I suppose this… is the part… where I'm supposed to… say sorry," he said.

"Are you?"

"I hope one day… you'll understand."

"That's not an apology."

Collins opened his eyes. "They're going to… lock me up… forever."

"I know."

"It doesn't have to… end like this."

"Yes, Mark, it does." Walter took a step closer to the bed. "That's why I'm here. To… to say goodbye."

For the first time since they'd met, Walter thought he could see genuine remorse in Mark's eyes. His ability to interpret emotional cues was appalling at the best of times, but there was something about the way Mark looked at him this time that sent a shiver through his body.

"Walter, don't," begged Collins. "I can still… use my mind… together we can…"

"No, Mark." Suddenly he felt a rush of emotion, he knew he had to end this now. "Goodbye."

Walter turned and strode purposefully out of the room, nodding to the two Homeland agents standing guard as he closed the door behind him. Then he stopped dead in his tracks as he came face to face with Paige, Cabe, Toby, Happy and Sylvester. "Have you been out here the… the whole time?" he asked, but his voice was barely a whisper.

"You think we'd just leave you in there with him?" asked Happy, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Walter felt another wave of emotion, but this time he couldn't stop his bottom lip quivering. He couldn't stop the tears forming. He had almost lost this, almost destroyed his family because he was an idiot.

"You OK, pal?" asked Toby, reaching out and touching his forearm.

Walter nodded. He was. He didn't feel like he was, but deep down he _knew_ he was.

Sylvester patted him gently on the back. "It's over, Walter," he said, reassuringly.

Paige didn't say a word, she simply wrapped her arms around him. Walter felt her heartbeat against his and drew strength from her love. The love they shared. They had so much work to do, but now he knew he could fix everything with Paige. He knew they could mend their lives together.

"Come on, kids," said Cabe with a warm smile. "Let's go home."

 _To be continued…_


	22. Chapter 22 - The End Of The Beginning

**Finally home after their ordeal, Team Scorpion begin to rebuild and make plans for the future.**

 ** _Well, here it is at last - the final chapter of my Scorpion 'fix-it' fic. It's longer than the other chapters - about twice as long, in fact - but it didn't feel right to split it in two, so just think of it as the two-hour season finale!_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone who has joined me in this journey. This is the story I never wanted to write, but we were denied an on-screen resolution for the characters so I felt compelled to write my own. These characters mean more to me than I can put into words and writing this has been more emotional than I can explain without sounding like a crazy woman!_**

 ** _Thank you for all your reviews, they have kept me motivated when it felt like I couldn't do it any more. And if anyone has been waiting until the end to leave a review, now's your chance!_**

 ** _I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

 **CHAPTER 22.**

"Boy, it's good to be home!" Toby ran into the garage and flopped down, face first, onto the couch.

Walter watched him, a warm feeling that he didn't understand washing over him. Home? The garage was his home, he was the one who lived in the loft after all... but of course it was their home too - Toby's, Happy's and Sylvester's. It always had been. The whole reason he'd set up Scorpion in the first place was so that people like him had somewhere to call home. That had included Mark too once, but Mark...

Walter closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He was too tired to think about Mark now.

"Patty, your parents are waiting for you," said Richard. "Have you ever had a ride in a Ferrari?"

Patty smiled gratefully at him. "Never," she admitted. "Thank you," she added, graciously. Then she turned to Sylvester. "And thank _you_ too. When I was tied to that chair... scared beyond anything I've ever felt before... I knew you guys would rescue me. I _knew_ it."

She ran to Sylvester's arms and he enveloped her in a huge bear hug.

"Hey, Dickie, any chance of a ride for your new pal Ray?"

Richard laughed at Ray. He'd never met anyone quite like him before, but there was something incredibly endearing about him. "Why not," he agreed. "Where do you live?"

Ray winked at him. "That would be telling," he said as he followed Patty towards Richard's top of the range car. "A- _Ray_ -vederci, Scorpions!"

As Richard started the engine, Cabe walked in through the door, slipping his phone into his pocket as he did so. "I called the hospital," he explained as the others looked at him expectedly. "Flo's doing well. I asked them to tell her we were home safe in case she was worried."

"I'll go see her in the morning," said Walter.

Cabe glanced at Paige, but to his relief she just smiled.

"I'll come with you," said Sylvester. "Um, that is, if that's OK with you?"

"Sure," agreed Walter.

Happy slapped Toby's backside. "Come on, Doc," she said. "I need my bed."

Toby begrudgingly sat himself upright.

"Wait," said Paige. "Before you go, I'd like to call a staff meeting. A Centipede Partners staff meeting."

"Huh?" Replied Happy with a puzzled frown. "Now?"

Paige nodded. "It's important," she said.

Walter and Cabe exchanged a glance. They suddenly felt a little awkward and both took a step backwards to allow the others to gather around Paige.

"I know we're all equal partners," began Paige. "But as the founder of Centipede I'd... I'd like to propose that we shut down the company with immediate effect."

Paige held her breath, but no one said anything for a few seconds.

Then Sylvester's hand shot into the air. "I second that," he said. "All those in favour?"

Happy and Toby raised their hands.

Paige let out a long, slow breath. It felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Centipede Partners had been the physical manifestation of everything that had gone wrong between her and Walter and between Walter and the other geniuses and now it was finally over. She bit hard on her lower lip as tears threatened to overwhelm her. Suddenly Sylvester had his arms around her. "We're gonna be OK," he said.

"Except now we're all unemployed," noted Toby.

Walter stepped forward. "Um, about that," he began. "I... I was actually thinking of... of hiring some more staff." He glanced at Cabe who nodded and smiled broadly. "We need an engineer."

Happy slowly raised her hand.

Now it was Walter's turn to smile. "You're hired," he said. "Now, we also need a… a behaviourist."

Toby waved both hands in the air as if he was trying to attract Walter's attention from across a crowded room instead of six feet in front of him.

"There's always Quincy Berkstead," offered Cabe, trying – and failing – to supress a grin.

Toby whimpered.

"Hmmm," replied Walter, stroking his chin as if he was deep in thought. "I'm not sure Quincy's trustworthy, not…not after what he did to us in that bunker."

"Good point," agreed Cabe.

"Quit fooling around, boss!" urged Happy. "The Doc and I come as a package."

Walter turned to Toby. "In that case, you're hired."

Toby whooped with delight and punched the air before hugging Happy. "We're gainfully employed again!" he exclaimed. "And that means Operation Quintis-Adopt is back on track!"

"Hey, Walt, I know this guy who's good with numbers," said Happy, with a sideways glance at Sylvester. "Figure you could use someone like him?"

Walter nodded. "Yes, very much so," he agreed. He looked at Sylvester. "Are… are you interested?"

"You bet!" exclaimed Sylvester and before Walter knew what was happening Sylvester rushed at him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry I left, Walter."

Walter slapped him affectionately on the back. "And I'm sorry for the things I said," he said. "I… I need my brother with me."

Sly nodded and finally released him from his grasp.

"I guess there's just one more position vacant, son," noted Cabe. "You need someone to hold this bunch of lunatics together. Someone who can help you all understand the world. Someone who understands _you_."

Paige had remained silent, choking back emotion as Walter rebuilt his team. Now Cabe's words pushed her to the edge.

Walter stepped forward and tenderly took her hands in his. "Paige," he began. "I'll understand if you never want to work with us… with _me_ … again, but… but we need you. I need you. Please… please come back."

"Don't… don't beg," urged Paige, hurriedly wiping away a stray tear from her cheek. "I should be the one begging _you_ to take _me_ back."

"Does that m…m…mean you'll take the job?"

"Oh, Walter, yes!" exclaimed Paige.

"There… there is one more position available," he added.

"There is?" queried Cabe.

"Yes," nodded Walter. "I… I need an apprentice. Someone who might, one day, be able to take over this company."

"Sounds like you're looking for an heir, not an apprentice," noted Cabe.

"Maybe," said Walter quietly. Then he turned to Ralph. "You…you've always been a member of the team, but I want to make it official."

Ralph glanced at Paige. He wanted to run to Walter, but he also wanted to make sure it was what his mother wanted. After everything that had happened his priority was her happiness, not his own.

To his great relief Paige smiled and nodded.

"I have one condition," said Ralph.

Walter was a little stunned, but he nodded. "Anything."

"Drop the crappy _Two-Point-Oh_ thing," said Ralph, with a smile.

"It's a deal," agreed Walter. "Welcome to Scorpion."

Ralph stepped forward and formally shook Walter's hand, before Walter pulled him into a hug.

"We need to have a talk about your language, young man," said Paige, but she was smiling. She couldn't have been more proud of her son at that moment.

Walter turned to face his assembled team. "I know I h…h…haven't always been a good boss. I've tried to be… but sometimes I get it wrong and… and I promise I will try harder."

Toby gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Just be yourself, pal," he said. "Apart from all those really annoying habits, obviously," he added mischievously.

"We've all made mistakes, Walt," said Sylvester. " _All_ of us. But… but we can learn from them. Together."

"Sounds like a good plan, kid," agreed Cabe. He couldn't stop smiling as he spoke. "It hasn't been the same around here without all you guys," he added.

"Team hug?" offered Toby with a smirk.

"Go home, Doc," replied Cabe with a scowl. "Or my foot and your ass..."

"Oh I've missed this!" Toby interrupted gleefully.

Walter laughed too. Even he'd missed Toby deliberately antagonising Cabe. He'd missed Sylvester's obsessive cleaning and tidying. He'd missed Happy's blunt honesty. And he'd missed Paige.

God, he'd missed Paige.

Walter had started to think this day would never come, but here they all were, laughing together and just _being_ together. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knew they all had a lot of work to do to repair the damage, but he also knew that they would get there. He needed them and they needed him and that's how it was, it was meant to be. Walter didn't pretend to understand any of it, but now the team were reunited he began to realise just what had been missing from his life for the last month.

"I'm gonna go see Allie," Cabe announced, his expression softening. "I need to be with my girl tonight."

"Don't put your back out, Casanova!" said Toby with a wink, but Cabe was too tired to think of a retort.

"Take some time off," said Walter. "All of you. A few days, a week or two, whatever you need."

"Don't need to tell me twice," grinned Toby. "Smell you later, One Ninety Seven!" He grabbed Happy by the hand and they followed Cabe out of the door.

"Mom," began Ralph, lowering his voice. "I'm kinda worried about Sly being on his own after all of this. Is it OK if I sleepover at his place tonight?"

"Well, if it's OK with Sly then I guess so," agreed Paige and within a few minutes Ralph and Sylvester had gone leaving Paige and Walter alone in the garage.

"I think Ralph wanted us to be alone," said Walter. He smiled a little awkwardly. They'd waited so long to be alone and there was so much they still needed to say to each other, but the last thing on his mind was talking.

Paige laughed. "I think you're right," she agreed. "But I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my son orchestrating this."

"You... you don't have to stay," replied Walter, taking a step backwards. He was ready for Paige to say she needed more time. He was prepared to wait, to do whatever she wanted.

Paige said nothing, she simply wrapped her arms around Walter and held him close. They stayed like that for longer than either of them could ever have thought possible just a few days ago.

Eventually Walter broke away. "I've missed you," he said.

"I've missed you too, Walter."

"Shall we...?"

"Go upstairs?" offered Paige. Her heart was full of hope. She needed him so badly, she needed him right now and for the rest of her life.

Walter took her face in his hands. He held her for a moment, not quite able to believe that this moment was truly happening. Then he kissed her like he'd never kissed her before.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Look out! Learner driver!"

Paige and Walter looked up at the sound of Sylvester's cry. They couldn't help but laugh as he manoeuvred Florence's wheelchair through the garage with Florence gripping the armrest tightly with her good hand.

"Steady there, pal," urged Toby, grabbing the bag of Florence's medication from the back of the truck. "Flo's already been in the hospital for almost two weeks, you don't want to send her straight back there!"

"It's OK," said Florence with a smile. "I just wish I wasn't stuck in this thing."

"It's only until your wrist heals," replied Toby. "Then you can start using the crutches."

Florence nodded. She took a deep breath. She was more than glad to be out of hospital - the boredom had been driving her crazy, despite Sylvester, Walter and Toby visiting as often as they could - but now she was back here at the garage, with everyone looking at her, she felt the sudden urge to go back to her safe hospital room.

"I've drawn up a schedule," said Walter, suddenly, wheeling over the whiteboard.

"Here we go," said Happy rolling her eyes.

"Schedule for what?" queried Florence.

"For... for your care, of course," explained Walter. "While you're staying here."

Florence sighed. When Sylvester had first suggested the idea of her staying at the garage while she recuperated her first response had been a resolute 'no', but then she realised she had no choice. Her injuries meant she couldn't look after herself yet and the more she thought about it the more the idea of the team looking after her began to make sense, not just from a practical point of view, but also on an emotional level that she didn't really understand yet.

"As you can see, I've heavily weighted Toby for the first few days," continued Walter, pointing at the board. "Then once your medical needs become less of a focus, the roster ensures a female presence at least once a day to see to see to your... your, um... feminine needs."

Toby sniggered at Walter's choice of words, but Paige elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'll be staying with… with Paige so the loft is yours," continued Walter. "And… and we're keeping our workload light for a few weeks so there shouldn't be too much activity down here to disturb you should you wish to sleep during the day."

Florence was stunned. She hadn't expected so much planning to have gone into this, so much... care. She stared at the whiteboard. Everyone's name was on it, but one leapt out at her more than the others.

Paige.

Paige was going to help her and Florence didn't know how to process that information. She looked over at her. They still hadn't talked, she still hadn't explained herself to Paige, but if Paige was willing to do this for her now, maybe she already understood? Maybe that's how it was for people with a high EQ? Florence had no idea.

Paige caught her eye and understood. "Hey, I couldn't leave you in the care of this bunch of nerds now, could I," she said with a smile.

Florence took a shuddery breath and looked around at everyone. "I don't know what to say? You… you don't have to do this." She tried to say something else, but no words came.

"OK, I think my patient needs to rest," said Toby. He grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and steered Florence towards the ramp. "See? This place was built for this."

He began pushing Florence up to the loft, almost running at first, but his paced slowed as he got near the top. Florence weighed next to nothing, but he really had to push hard to get her to the top of the ramp. "Y'know, I never realised how steep this was!" he puffed.

Florence turned and looked gratefully at him. "Thanks," she said as he wheeled her across the loft towards the bed.

"I could see you were getting kinda overwhelmed down there," said Toby, gently. "Listen, you've been through a lot so if things get tough, it if gets too much, you tell me, OK?"

Florence nodded. She wasn't sure how much more kindness she could take. She didn't feel she deserved any of it.

"Come on, let's get you settled in," said Toby. "Walt promised me he changed the sheets," he added with a wink.

"I made sure he did."

Florence inhaled sharply at the sound of Paige's voice over Toby's shoulder. "Paige!" she exclaimed, a little more harshly than she meant it to sound.

"I, um, I just thought I'd come up to make sure you didn't have any…"

"Feminine needs?" Florence finished her sentence for her.

Paige laughed. "Exactly," she said.

Florence managed a small laugh too and immediately felt herself relax a little. She allowed Toby and Paige to help her into the bed. She wasn't used to being so vulnerable in front of anyone.

As her head rested against the pillow, she closed her eyes and searched her mind for any hint of the feelings she'd thought she had a few weeks ago, but there was nothing. If she truly felt anything for Walter beyond friendship, being in his bed – even under these circumstances – would've stirred something inside her, she assumed. But she felt nothing. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes.

"You OK?" asked Toby with concern as Paige arranged the pillows.

"Mmm-hmm," agreed Florence.

"How's your pain level? Do you need your meds?"

"No, I'm fine."

Her eyes darted towards Paige. She needed to clear the air. Even though – weirdly - it didn't feel as though the air needed clearing any more, she still needed to say the words she'd been rehearsing over and over in her hospital bed. She needed Paige to listen.

"Well I think I'm gonna leave you two ladies to talk," said Toby, placing one hand gently on Florence's shoulder and the other on Paige's, "I'll be back with your meds later, Flo."

Florence nodded and smiled awkwardly. Of course he'd _know._ "It's… it's Florence," she corrected him as he walked down the stairs.

Paige sat herself on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch or move Florence's leg. She stared at the cast and the metalwork that protruded from it. The bolts and screws looked like something from a horror movie. The only time she'd ever had to wear a cast was the time she'd fallen off a pony and broken her arm when she was nine years old. It had been a clean break, six weeks in plaster and it was as good as new. Florence's injury was much more serious.

"A dislocated knee is one of the worst injuries you can have," said Florence, suddenly aware that Paige was staring. "I… I'm not fishing for sympathy," she added quickly.

Paige smiled warmly. "I know," she said. "Toby told me all about it. You really made a good job of it, didn't you."

"I've always said if something's worth doing it's worth doing well," said Florence with a twinkle in her eye. Then her face fell. "I don't know what possessed me to attempt to climb out of that silo. The walls were almost vertical. I guess I wasn't thinking straight."

"No one would be thinking straight after they'd been kidnapped and left alone down there," replied Paige.

Florence shrugged. "Um," she began. "Paige, I wanted to talk to you about… about Walter. About what happened… about what I said."

Paige waved her hands in front of her. "Please, you don't need to explain yourself," she insisted. "You did nothing wrong."

"No, I do and… and I did do something wrong," replied Florence. "I was flattered. I was confused about how spending time with… with… with a friend made me feel."

"But none of that was your fault," replied Paige. "I know a thing or two about people with low EQ, even if I don't always show it. You were just trying to process your new feelings."

"Yes, yes," agreed Florence, nodding profusely. "Having a friend… having real _friends_ … it's all so new to me. I just wish I hadn't… y'know… that day."

"I think we all wish we hadn't… _y'know_ … that day," replied Paige with a wry smile. "Florence, what happened between me and Walter was going to happen sooner or later. And, I know this sounds crazy, but I'm glad it happened. We had a lot of problems – mostly _my_ problems - that we were ignoring and we could've gone on for another year, two years - five, who knows - before it came to a head. At least now we know what we have to do to make things work. We're already working on it, we're communicating now and… and it's wonderful."

"But… Sylvester," began Florence. "I hurt him too. And the team."

"Hey, Walter needed to wake up to the way he sometimes treats people," replied Paige. "He's sure learnt his lesson now. And Sly's tougher than he appears. He was all kinds of mixed up too, remember? I thought you guys had worked things out already?"

"We have," agreed Florence. "But I'm still sorry it happened. I guess I just wanted you to know that I value your friendship, Paige."

Paige smiled.

"And," continued Florence. "I also wanted you to know that… that I'm leaving."

"What? I thought we just agreed that we're still friends?"

Florence smiled. "We did," she agreed. "But last year I applied to be part of a research project at Princeton. Their funding was cut and nothing came of it, but now they've applied for more funding and they've offered me a position heading up one of the teams. It's a huge opportunity for me. The email came through a couple days ago. I talked it over with Sly and I've decided to go."

"Princeton!" exclaimed Paige. "New Jersey is about as far away from here as you can get without moving to another country!"

"Actually, that would be Alaska," Florence pointed out and Paige rolled her eyes. "It's only for a year, initially," Florence explained. "As soon as this stupid leg is healed I'll be leaving."

"Florence, I don't know what to say?"

"I think it will do me good to stand on my own two feet for a while," said Florence. Then her mouth twisted into a smile. "In more ways than one," she added, looking at her leg. Then her smile faded. "And I think it will do all of you good for me to leave," she added. Paige opened her mouth to speak, but Florence stopped her. "I'll keep in touch, of course… if you want me to, that is."

"Yes, I do, we all do," replied Paige. "You're one of us, now. You're part of the team. The last month has been hell for all of us and after what Collins did… I mean, you've suffered more than any of us because of him."

Florence blinked back tears. "My leg will heal," she said. "And my wrist," she added, holding up her heavily strapped hand. "And your words mean more than I can say."

This isn't how she'd imagined this conversation would go. She had expected some level of hostility from Paige, even though Sylvester had promised her that wouldn't happen - but all she felt from the other woman was love and friendship.

"I know you're not normally one for hugs," said Paige. "But I think you need one."

Florence wiped away her tears and Paige gently wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you, Paige," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Three, two, one, go!"

Toby blew his whistle and started the timer on his phone.

Ralph and Sylvester each picked up a Rubik's Cube and solved it in seconds.

"One down!" called Toby, grinning as they picked up a second cube each.

Paige laughed at the serious looks on Ralph and Sylvester's faces as they desperately tried to win the latest challenge set by Toby.

"Ten seconds!" called Toby, as the contestants moved onto their third cube. Then he blew his whistle again and threw his hands in the air. "And Ralphy-Boy beats the Sly-Dog by a whisker!"

Paige shook her head and turned her attention back to the washing-up. She'd forgotten how annoying the geniuses' childish behaviour could be… but she wouldn't change it for the world.

"Can I do anything to help?"

Paige turned at the sound of Florence's voice. She was quite mobile now she had started to get used to her crutches. "No, thank you," replied Paige. "I'm almost done here."

"Dinner was delicious, thank you," said Florence.

Just then Cabe strode into the garage with Allie close behind him. "Listen up, people!" he called out.

Walter ran down from the loft as the others gathered around. "Is it a case?" he asked, hopefully.

Cabe frowned. "You told me to tell Homeland no cases for another two weeks," he answered.

"I know," admitted Walter. "But…"

"But turns out geniuses aren't too good at R and R," Toby explained. Then he turned to Happy and winked. "Well, some of us are better at it than others."

Happy smiled. "I think we did pretty well," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest.

Team Scorpion had all been enjoying their downtime. They'd actually spent a lot of it together as a group, enjoying each other's company without the usual stress of having to save the world at the same time and it had been good for all of them. They'd eaten together, played together, laughed together, annoyed each other and got sick of the sight of each other at times just like all families do, but most of all they'd learnt more about each other than they'd ever known before.

Paige and Walter had talked a lot. There had been more tears, but a lot more love. And sex, of course. A lot of that too and each time felt more intimate and special than the last. They were starting to really understand each other now, more than they ever had before and it felt so good. Paige had opened up to Walter about her past and about how deeply certain events had affected her and Walter had really begun to understand how his actions had caused her so much pain. Most importantly they trusted each other now.

"It's not a case," explained Cabe. "It's Collins."

Suddenly the atmosphere in the garage changed as everyone began to assemble around the table.

"Is… is he back in the States?" asked Sylvester. He felt his chest tighten. He hadn't had this feeling for almost three weeks and it scared him. It scared him how just the mention of Mark Collins could send him back to this so quickly.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"You're OK, pal," said Toby in a low voice as he grasped his younger friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's back," said Cabe, answering Sylvester's question. "They transferred him to the hospital wing of a maximum security unit."

"Which one?" asked Walter.

"They won't tell me," replied Cabe. "For our own safety, although I don't follow that."

"It's for _his_ safety," explained Toby.

"Hmmm," pondered Walter. He had wrestled with his conscience so many times since Egypt. He could have so easily have just let Collins die, but something had compelled him to keep him alive. Loyalty, perhaps? He wasn't sure. Now simply not knowing exactly where he was felt… disturbing.

"OK, listen to me for once," said Cabe. "He's out of our lives. We don't have to worry about Collins anymore. Let other people worry about him now. The most dangerous criminals are housed in these places so they know what they're doing. He ain't getting outta there, no way."

"They don't know Collins," Sylvester pointed out.

 _Breathe in… and hold… and out…_

"Cabe's right," insisted Walter. "I brought Collins into our lives and maybe if I'd done things differently… well, anyway, it's done now. We… we can't change what happened, b…but we can't live our lives constantly looking over our shoulders. We have to try to forget about him."

Silence descended as everyone took in Walter's words. They all knew he was right, but it wasn't going to be easy.

"Onwards and upwards," added Cabe.

"No one says that anymore!" exclaimed Toby. "Just how old _are_ you?"

"Not so old that I can't kick your ass, Doc!" replied Cabe and he lunged at Toby.

Toby squealed and leapt over a chair as Cabe chased after him, sending a pot of pencils crashing to the floor from Sylvester's desk as they raced past.

Happy laughed as she watched their antics. She turned to Ralph. "I guess everything's back to normal around here," she said, holding up her hand for a high-five.

"Sure is," grinned Ralph, slapping her palm triumphantly.

Happy left Ralph and walked over to join Florence. "Still sure you wanna leave?" she asked. Out of everyone it had taken Happy the longest to warm to Florence, but then she'd realised – with a little prompting from Toby – that they were actually very much alike. Once she'd started to recognise herself in the chemist, Happy had begun to understand her and they two women had formed an unlikely bond.

Florence nodded. "It won't be forever," she said. "But I need to do this. For me."

"I'm kinda gonna miss you," replied Happy, surprising even herself with the genuine sentiment in her voice.

"Me too," added Sylvester, walking over to join them.

Happy raised her eyebrows and hurried away, leaving them to talk.

"Sylvester, you were my first real friend," said Florence. "And I'll never forget that." She'd thought a lot about what might have been with Sylvester and the more she thought about it the more she realised that their friendship meant more to her than any possible romance would ever have done.

Sylvester nodded. He understood completely and he felt the same way. "I'm sorry I made things weird for a while there," he said.

They both looked at each other for a moment, before bursting into giggles. "You're all weird around here!" exclaimed Florence.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later that evening, Cabe was on his phone in the kitchen as Allie walked over to join him, but she stopped as soon as she got close enough to hear what he was saying.

"…if he so much as farts I want to know about it."

"So much for onwards and upwards."

Cabe slammed his phone down on the table and looked up at the sound of Allie's voice. "I was… I was…"

"Don't even _think_ about lying to me, Cabe Gallo," insisted Allie, putting down the two dirty glasses she'd been carrying. "That was about Mark Collins, wasn't it."

Cabe looked over her shoulder, desperately hoping no-one else had overheard her. To his relief the team all engaged in various, mostly noisy activities. He let out a sigh. "I have to protect them," he explained. "I called in a few favours, pulled a few strings, now I know where he is. I have to keep them safe, Allie. I… I love them."

Allie wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his warm body. "I know. They are so lucky to have you," she said. "And so am I."

"You won't tell Walt? You won't tell any of them?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "They have the rest of their lives to live. It's not fair on them to have this hanging over them forever. You were right, they need to forget about him."

Cabe looked into her eyes. "Let me take care of this. God, I love you, Allie Jones."

From her position on the couch, Paige couldn't help but smile as she noticed Cabe and Allie kissing passionately in the kitchen. She glanced at Walter, wondering if it was too early for them to make their excuses and head back to the condo. She was feeling a little passion stirring herself, but she soon realised Walter's thoughts were a million miles away.

"Hey, you're not still thinking about Collins, are you?" she asked.

Walter blinked deeply. "Huh? I… I…"

"You have to put him out of your mind," insisted Paige. "Or he'll drive you crazier than he is himself."

Walter shrugged. "I failed him, Paige," he said.

"What!"

"Scorpion is supposed to be a safe haven for people like Mark, but… but…"

"You did everything you could for him," replied Paige. "You didn't fail him, he failed you. Look around you, Walter. What can you see?"

Walter looked at her with a puzzled frown. "I see… I see the light bulb by the door needs changing, I see Toby and Ralph building a house of cards, I see Happy adjusting the special shoe she made for Florence to help her with her balance, I see there's a pen under your desk…"

"OK, OK," she stopped him before he described the entire contents of the garage. "What I meant was, can you see how happy and… and not crazy everyone is? That's all because of you, Walter. Imagine where we'd all be without you. Toby, Happy, Sylvester and now Ralph, they all have a home here because of you. They have a family. You offered Mark the chance to be a part of this – it was probably more than he deserved - but you tried anyway. He just doesn't belong here, he never did. You didn't fail him."

Walter was almost overwhelmed at her words. Paige slipped her hand into Walter's and squeezed it tightly.

"Even me, Walter," she continued. "I learnt to understand my son because of you. And now I'm learning more about myself and I'm becoming a better person. Look at Cabe and Allie," she added pointing towards the kitchen where the two of them were dancing slowly in each other's arms to music only they could hear. "Cabe lost his family, but you gave him a new one. He learnt how to love again because of you. And now he and Allie are going to grow old together and none of this would be happening if you hadn't brought us all together."

Walter cleared his throat. "Um… I need to use the bathroom," he said and he leapt up and walked away.

Paige watched him go. She knew it would take him a while to process her words, but she was willing to give him all the time he needed.

His vacant place on the couch was soon filled by Toby. "Everything OK with Walt?" he asked.

Paige smiled. "Yes," she replied. "I may have overloaded his EQ a little there," she admitted. "But he needed to hear it. He needs to know how much he means to us. He thinks he failed Collins."

Toby winced. "That's Walt all over," he said. "But he'll work his way through it, he'll be fine. I'm so glad to see you guys working things out. I mean, I knew you would, but it's good to see."

Paige laughed. "I think we're going to be OK," she said. "And what about you? Everything OK with you and Happy?"

"Perfect," replied Toby. "We have a meeting with the adoption agency on Thursday."

"Oh, Toby!" she exclaimed. "That's so exciting!"

Toby nodded. "It is," he agreed. "But it'll be a long process, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. It'll be a while yet before we have a little Quintis rugrat running around the place. Which means, I still have time for our weekly couch time. In fact, it doesn't matter how many kids we have, I'll always have time for my Best Ma'am."

"Thank you, Toby," replied Paige with a smile. "I guess I never knew how good therapy would be for me."

"Helps when your shrink is the best in the world," noted Toby with a wink.

Paige laughed. "As long as you promise to take care of yourself too," she added, more seriously.

"Hey, my demons are under control," he replied. "And if they ever get outta control, I have Happy to beat them back with a stick. Or a wrench."

Just then Walter walked back into the room. "Everyone, please gather round," he said.

Toby and Paige exchanged a worried glance.

"A…a…as you are all aware," began Walter. "Things haven't been easy for any of us lately, but… but I just wanted you to know that, despite not always showing it in the… in the past, you all mean everything to me."

Allie squeezed Cabe's hand and smiled.

"I will endeavour to be a better leader, to allow you all to use your abilities for the greater good and… and I will also endeavour to be a better friend to you all," continued Walter.

Toby draped his arm around Happy's shoulders and blinked deeply, determined not to let Walter see his eyes were wet.

"Because… because you are my family," Walter continued. "We are a cyclone and, as I believe I explained once before, scorpions are very loyal to their cyclone."

"I feel like we should be raising a glass," said Cabe.

"Oh!" exclaimed Sylvester and he ran over to his water purifier and began filling paper cups.

Paige and Happy quickly joined him and within seconds everyone had a cup of filtered water.

"To family!" said Cabe, raising his cup high in the air.

"To family!" chorused everyone.

"I'd forgotten how good this water tastes," commented Happy with an appreciative nod to Sylvester as she almost emptied her cup.

"Save some," urged Walter. "I'd like to make one more toast… to Scorpion!"

"To Scorpion!"

THE END.

 ** _If you've enjoyed this story, please consider reading and reviewing my other Scorpion fics. I'd love to know what you think._**

 ** _'Sunshine and Sea Air' is set a year in the future, the others have so far all been set during the run of the show. And I will be writing more, I just can't leave these characters alone! Thank you kindly._**


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